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"Dateline" Judged by Jury

Posted Feb 26th 2008 4:13PM by TMZ Staff

A New York judge has refused to throw out a $100 million lawsuit brought by the family of a man who committed suicide after police, accompanied by a camera crew from "Dateline NBC: To Catch a Predator," showed up at his house to arrest him.

The lawsuit, brought by the sister of former Kaufman County, Tex. Districy Attorney Louis "Bill" Contradt Jr., alleges that NBC and police acted with deliberate indifference to Contradt and that cops had a duty to protect him. She says, "Apparently unable to face the humiliation of the public spectacle that faced him, Conradt took his own life."

Cops say Conradt solicited sex from a decoy online posing as a 13-year-old boy as part of a sting operation conducted jointly by "Dateline NBC" and the internet watch dog group Perverted Justice.

Amanda Leith, a lawyer for NBC Universal, had no comment on the ruling. The company previously called the lawsuit "completely without merit."

Bruce Baron, the lawyer for Patricia Contradt, tells TMZ, "This decision sends a strong message to law enforcement officials throughout our country, that you may not subcontract your uniform, badge, and the oath you take."

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76. It is ubsurd that anyone would defend such an animal!
I am happy there is one less horrible animal in this world.
Imagine the pain and suffering of his victims and what they will still have to live with for the rest of their lives.
I'm so sick of hearing stories like these.
And who cares if he was abused. He made the decision to carry on the horror. He could of made a different choice and saved his own humilitation and life.
Good riddens!

Posted at 7:09PM on Feb 26th 2008 by CARedHot

77. Are you seriously suggesting that people should feel sorry for this guy? If he did it this time, he had done it before and would do it again. I am sure he did feel ashamed but only because he was caught and his family and friends found out what a sick person he was. He chose to chase after children and he chose to take his own life. If he had been arrested without the cameras do you think it would have turned out differently? Please... I am sorry for his family, but suing anyone is just ridiculous, good luck explaining that one at the pearly gates.

Posted at 5:31PM on Feb 26th 2008 by Freeds

78. You have his name spelled wrong TMZ,

Posted at 5:33PM on Feb 26th 2008 by sheri11

79.

the family can use part of their 100 million for therapy -- just WHY DID he like little boys ? huh ? i smell a dead rat .

Posted at 5:34PM on Feb 26th 2008 by Put another million in -- in the millionodeon --

80. Who cares if a molester kills himself.
They should be put to death anyways.
Chris Hanson should be saluted for the show.

Posted at 5:38PM on Feb 26th 2008 by Kimmie

81. I feel absolutely no remorse over this perverted pedo's death.
What life would he have ruined if he was still alive and out there molesting kids?
Good riddance and I hope his family gets NOTHING. No it probably wasn't their fault the guy turned out that way, but they're obviously just doing this to get money.

Posted at 5:38PM on Feb 26th 2008 by LisaL

82. Most of the comments I have found on this thread are so far from intelligent that I felt compelled to write something of substance. You see, 99% of the comments on this thread are from people who are hoping for the worst case scenario and buying into it because they feel that this man's death was justified because he had problems. The truth is that we all have problems and to say that this was justified because he was a sinner is the same as telling each of you that you were justified to die for every time you have ever sped on the freeway, ran a red light or said something that was downright out of line. Life is more precious than that. I am not sympathizing with this man because I am like him (even though I am a sinner I still find what he was doing disgusting and would never do it). We have all done things that we are ashamed of. So stop looking for the dark side, and turn towards the light. What if this was the first time this man had ever tried to do something like this and because he didn't want to see the look on his family's face when they found out, he took the easy way out. The easy way out is definitely the wrong way, but at the same time, we have already established that this man had problems. I just know that the good thing about life is that you always have time to change. The fact that a news crew showed up with the cops to publisize this man's sinfullness is just scary to me, because everybody is ashamed of something, and how can each one of you act so self righteous that you honestly can't think of anything that you would hate to show to the nation. Let he who is without sin cast the first stone, oh wait...too late now.

Posted at 5:38PM on Feb 26th 2008 by sadness in the world

83. This is great. It's about time Hansen and NBC take it up the ass for profitting off the abuse of civil rights.

Posted at 5:39PM on Feb 26th 2008 by bitchen

84. Dear Prude ~ The average, God-fearing citizen does NOT attempt to have sex with young boys! Get real. You disgust me as much as the pedophiles do. How can you possibly defend these creeps? The "average, God-fearing citizen does NOT go online and actively seek out young children to molest!!!!!!!! You are a complete idiot.

Posted at 5:39PM on Feb 26th 2008 by Cynic

85. Dateline oversteped the boundary in this case. Read the article in Esquire about this case and you will see that while this man did, in fact, contact the decoy, Dateline pushed the Police to go after him and intial contact broke off.

Posted at 5:46PM on Feb 26th 2008 by Paul1550

86. I THINK NBC WAS WRONG FROM THE START ON THESE ISSUES. THIS WAS ALL ENTRAPMENT!

Posted at 5:43PM on Feb 26th 2008 by DAYTONA

87. So he committed suicide - gee think he was guilty?

But I guess his family isn't too embarrassed to cash in on it though. Sick people

Posted at 5:43PM on Feb 26th 2008 by he did it to himself

88. Sissy needs to realize her brother was evil and sick & the earth is a better place without him!!! What a stupid judge!

Posted at 7:17PM on Feb 26th 2008 by Kim

89. BS case. Yeah Chris Hanson ! Boo Pedophiles!

Posted at 5:57PM on Feb 26th 2008 by Suzanne

90. The saddest part of all is that the family of the villain claims injury and lawyers get rich over castigating the police. I believe there is a great value in showing the actual arrest of a district attorney caught red-handed. Who says the media can't cover an arrest? A question, How could anyone commit suicide when he is under arrest?

Posted at 5:58PM on Feb 26th 2008 by Jimbo

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