Criminal Justice
Dateline NBC Faces Lawsuits
Posted Aug 14, 2007, 10:42 am CST
By Debra Cassens Weiss
Dateline NBC is facing lawsuits in connection with a program that exposed would-be predators who thought they were meeting underage kids for possible sexual encounters.
One suit has been filed by the sister of a former district attorney who shot himself after he was caught by the sting, the Dallas Morning News reports. Another filed by a former producer claims the show fired her for questioning the ethics of the show.
The newspaper cites an Esquire magazine investigation that suggested the police department in Murphy, Texas, compromised usual methods by rushing search warrants and doing little investigation on potential suspects.
The show’s executive producer said such criticisms are not warranted. The notion that the show “somehow could have controlled or manipulated a police department, prosecutors or the whole law enforcement organization is ridiculous,” said executive producer David Corvo.