Published: August 02, 2008 01:29 am            

MISSING BOY: Lawsuit against Nancy Grace, CNN to continue

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

OCALA, Fla. — A federal judge has refused to dismiss a lawsuit that claims CNN’s Nancy Grace pushed the mother of a missing toddler to suicide through aggressive questioning.

CNN and Grace argued the wrongful death lawsuit brought by Melinda Duckett’s parents, Larry and Beth Eubank of Lockport, would “severely chill” journalists’ coverage of missing-persons cases. But U.S. District Judge William Terrell Hodges on Thursday denied their motion to dismiss the lawsuit.

Duckett, 21, a Lockport native, was on Grace’s show after her son, Trenton, went missing from her apartment in August 2006. Grace grilled the woman, accusing her of hiding something because Duckett did not take a lie-detector test and answered vaguely regarding her whereabouts.

Duckett fatally shot herself before the network aired the pre-taped interview.

The family claims Grace's intense questioning caused severe emotional distress that led to the suicide. The lawsuit also claims that the decision to air the interview after her suicide caused the family to suffer severe emotional distress and media and public harassment. The family is seeking a jury trial, unspecified damages more than $15,000 and punitive damages.

Duckett family attorney Jay Paul Deratany said attorneys will begin taking testimony.

“There is more information out there to be gleaned,” Deratany said. “If Melinda had any information, Nancy Grace stopped the investigation in its track.”

Police have said Duckett is the only suspect in her son’s disappearance.

A message left Friday for an attorney representing Grace and CNN was not immediately returned.

        

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