I love this show, and I love how the cops always dramatically and violently tackle the guys for NO reason, as they're never even running.

I don't know how anybody can say it's entrapment when the men go on their own free will. I'm PRETTY sure if it was entrapment, then the sting and show wouldn't be going on. The network has people that check these things out before airing content such as this.

Judge approves "Predator" lawsuit against NBC
Tue Feb 26, 2008 5:49pm EST

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A $100 million lawsuit claiming that NBC prompted the suicide of a former Texas prosecutor who was caught up in its popular sting series "To Catch a Predator" is moving ahead after a ruling by a U.S. federal judge on Tuesday.

Louis Conradt, a 56-year-old assistant district attorney, shot himself in November 2006 after he was confronted at his Terrell, Texas, home by police officers. They were accompanied by an NBC news crew that was there to film his arrest.

"To Catch a Predator," a segment of NBC's "Dateline" newsmagazine program, lures men to a house with hidden cameras in the belief that they are about to have sexual relations with underage girls or boys. There, they are confronted by the program's host and promptly arrested. In Conradt's case, he was expecting to meet up with a 13-year-old boy.

Critics of the show say it is a form of entrapment, and they have questioned NBC's partnership on the series with an online vigilante group called Perverted-Justice.

Conradt's sister, Patricia Conradt, sued the network, saying "Dateline" was responsible for his death and the harm to his reputation. She grew up in the house where Conradt committed suicide.

U.S. District Judge Denny Chin, while dismissing some causes of action, said certain key claims in the complaint can proceed to trial, according to a 40-page ruling.

Chin let the case go forward on claims of intentional infliction of emotional distress and violation of civil rights, saying if the allegations were proven, "a reasonable jury could find that NBC crossed the line from responsible journalism to irresponsible and reckless intrusion into law enforcement."

"Rather than merely report on law enforcement's efforts to combat crime, NBC purportedly instigated and then placed itself squarely in the middle of a police operation," the opinion read, "pushing the police to engage in tactics that were unnecessary and unwise, solely to generate more dramatic footage for a television show."

A spokeswoman for NBC, which is majority-owned by General Electric Co, said the company will continue to defend itself vigorously.

"We think the evidence will ultimately show that 'Dateline' acted responsibly and lawfully," spokeswoman Jenny Tartikoff said in an e-mailed statement. "The judge's ruling was based solely on the plaintiff's version of the facts. For purposes of this motion only, the judge was required, under the law, to accept the plaintiff's allegations as true."

NBC had argued that it owed Conradt no duty to protect him from suicide, according to the ruling.

MuthaFunka said:

That language hints towards the test for entrapment.
[Edited 2/29/08 12:40pm]

ButterscotchPimp said:

Do these guys even get formally charged and convicted of anything resulting from these set ups?

I love this show, and I love how the cops always dramatically and violently tackle the guys for NO reason, as they're never even running.

FunkMistress said:

I remember this one time when they tazered this guy because he wouldn't get down on the ground with his hands behind his head! He was just standing there and he wasn't responding to the cops so they just tazered him because they said he was "acting aggessive".

I remember this other predator they caught who showed up to the house butt ass naked! They gave him a towel to cover up with while the host grilled him. Then, like the next day practically, he was caught AGAIN trying to sexually abuse a minor in a McDonalds or something.

JasmineFire said:

LMAO! That was THEE funniest moment ever on that show! When he walked up to Chris and Chris said "Unbelievable" and the dude went "What!? I'm going to get something to eat!" -

MuthaFunka said:

right?!? he wasn't the brightest. these guys are so sick.

JasmineFire said:

Exactly. And that's exactly why I don't give a fuck if they take their own lives, they need to be off this planet for doing shit like that.

MuthaFunka said:

i often wonder why life in prison/death penalty isn't applicable to child molestors? These people permanently damage these children and they go to jail for a few years and then come out and do it again. They never get "rehabilitated"...they are always sexually attracted to children and they almost always act on it. People like this shouldn't exist...so why are their jail sentences so light?

JasmineFire said:

Years?

Try months. I think there should be a 10 years minimum. Some politicians need to get on this shit. This is the worst crime next to murder.

Mars23 said:

Or it wasn't entrapment and someone's looking to get a payday. Happens every single day of every single week in this litigious society we live in. This doesn't prove anything. You can "hint" all day, but at the end of the day - Hints don't mean Truth. Even still, it's an isolated story with special circumstances to boot. This isn't typical outcome of these stings.

MuthaFunka said:

i often wonder why life in prison/death penalty isn't applicable to child molestors? These people permanently damage these children and they go to jail for a few years and then come out and do it again. They never get "rehabilitated"...they are always sexually attracted to children and they almost always act on it. People like this shouldn't exist...so why are their jail sentences so light?

MuthaFunka said:

I'm not trying to prove anything. I'm trying to explain (hence posting specific case law, referring to legal tests) that it has not been litigated yet, but NBC and the Perverted Justice people are making the argument much easier to raise because of their quest for sensationalism and ratings. By using adults to trap these guys, they are entering into the realm of policing thought and that is precisely another test used to determine if entrapment is a valid defense.

When you are analyzing Supreme Court decisions hinting often leads precisely to the truth. The justices will use specific language in decisions to drive litigants towards where they are going.

I watch this show all the time. I think it's great. As for the families of these perverts, better to know than wait until the bastard molests his own daughter or other family member.

I remember one episode where the guy starts begging and crying, asking them not to ruin HIS life! Unfreakingbelievable. He was all set to ruin a childs life, and he's got the balls to say this? I say lock them up and throw away the key. Statistics show that they are rarely rehabilitated. And the justice system has been a joke for these poor children. A slap on the wrist, then they're back damaging lives. I'm glad that prosecutor killed himself. One less molester on the planet.

Why am I so angry? Because my nephew and three nieces were ALL molested as toddlers by their own fucking grandfather on their dad's side. Because he was an "upstanding member of the community" meaning he had money, he never served a day. The kids were put in foster homes, and he got away with a $200 fine and Pre-Trail Intervention. I wish he's had the balls to shoot himself in the head. I would have danced on his grave.

Preach it. I don't give a shit it if's "sensationalized for entertainment" because they're getting these sick muthafuckas off the streets and making other pervs that watch the show think twice and maybe deter their asses from doing the shit.

I don't know how anybody can say it's entrapment when the men go on their own free will. I'm PRETTY sure if it was entrapment, then the sting and show wouldn't be going on. The network has people that check these things out before airing content such as this.

JasmineFire said:

Good question and I agree.

JasmineFire said:

LMAO! That was THEE funniest moment ever on that show! When he walked up to Chris and Chris said "Unbelievable" and the dude went "What!? I'm going to get something to eat!" -

Mars23 said:

But those types of units use adults all the time posing at chidlren in chat rooms, so I don't see how this is any difference to call "entrapment".

JasmineFire said:

Exactly. And that's exactly why I don't give a fuck if they take their own lives, they need to be off this planet for doing shit like that.

This is all kinds of wrong.
[Edited 2/29/08 20:31pm]

MsLegs said:

Who is she even? I'm assuming she's underage and looks like she's on Leno or something? She must be a star of some stature right?

Everyone wants these guys to get caught but to use the situation as a form of entertainment is gross.

Volitan said:

Looks like the little twat from the Harry Potter movies.