NBC has settled a lawsuit brought by the family of a man who killed himself when the crew of TV show “To Catch a Predator” showed up at his home to film his arrest, according to court papers.
The $100 million lawsuit was brought against NBC by the family of Louis W. Conradt Jr., an assistant district attorney in Rockwall County, Texas, who shot himself as he was about to be arrested by police for attempting to solicit a minor over the Internet.
Accompanying the police were a crew from the NBC show “To Catch a Predator,” who were filming the arrest for a segment to be broadcast later, court papers show.
A representative from NBC was not immediately available to comment on the terms of the settlement. The agreement was first reported by the Los Angeles Times.
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The premise of “To Catch a Predator” is that someone poses as an underage girl in an Internet chat room and then lures men who want to meet them to a house. Instead of finding the girl, they are confronted by the TV show’s host and a camera crew.
In Conradt’s case, local police decided to arrest him at his home after he failed to show up at the prearranged house. Conradt took his own life as the police and camera crews entered his home.
Conradt’s sister sued NBC Universal, alleging it is responsible for her brother’s death and the harm to his reputation and name, according to court papers.