Nancy Grace sued for wrongful death
Posted by Moonage on 21 Nov 2006 | Tagged as: The Media
Per The Smoking Gun:
The parents of a woman who committed suicide shortly after a grilling by Nancy Grace are filing a lawsuit against the TV host, claiming that their daughter was driven to her death by the hard-charging former prosecutor. In a wrongful death lawsuit to be filed today in Florida, the parents of Melinda Duckett charge that Grace duped their daughter into an interview about Duckett’s missing two-year-old son, Trenton. That interview, which aired on Grace’s CNN Headline News show after Duckett’s death, was more of a cross-examination, with Grace peppering the 21-year-old woman with questions about her whereabouts at the time of her son’s late-August disappearance. On September 8, a day after her interview with Grace, Duckett used a shotgun to kill herself.
From what I’ve seen and heard about this one, regardless of whether Melinda Duckett did it or not, I hope Grace loses. From watching what I could stand, it was obvious to me that Grace made up her mind about Duckett’s guilt before she did the interview, and then chose to prosecute Duckett publicly. That’s just vigilante mob justice that is about as bad as it can get.
Now, if the legal system does prove that Duckett did do it, there’s not much that can be done about it since Grace pretty much screwed the entire process. She really doesn’t need to be on the air any more.
13 Comments »
on 21 Nov 2006 at 6:14 pm 1.Joel H Robbins said …
This seems to be the standard MO for Nancy Grace - she goes into an interview with her mind made up and does not want to be distracted by superfluous facts. She also has an enormous sense of entitlement about what she is owed.
on 29 Nov 2006 at 12:11 am 2.Michelle from Madison said …
On Tuesday night’s Nancy Grace show, she injected herself again into another active-police-investigation regarding a “microwaved-baby.” Nancy should have learned her lesson when she recently injected herself in a different active police investigation and the psychologically-fragile mother of a missing child soon after lost her life as a direct result of Nancy’s documented interference in the case. Bad Nancy, bad, bad Nancy. She really needs to be stopped from being a factor to the “injuries or deaths” of victims.
http://www.petitiononline.com/nopetit1/petition.html
and
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/419858296?ltl=1140999037
on 29 Nov 2006 at 10:27 am 3.Billi said …
Gee Whiz Mr Joel H. Robbins: The exact post, word for word is on another site but from a Michelle from Madison. Are you one of those 7 petitioners or are you 2 of the seven? Good luck on your crusade…But I really do not think you 7 or 6 have a chance.
on 29 Nov 2006 at 2:47 pm 4.Moonage
said …
Actually, Michelle posted the petition here, not Joel. So, it’s probably the same person. That to me is utterly meaningless. For what it’s worth, I signed it. I don’t judge my life on the chances something will succeed or not, I judge it on whether I stand by my statements or not. The petition itself is probably meaningless. Putting my name on it means something to me, and that’s all that matters. And, I’m sure that’s enough for anyone else that signs it. Discouraging people from stating their point of view IMO is pretty low. How many times Michelle has posted her thoughts and asked for support for her cause is totally irrelevent to whether or not the what she’s supporting has meaning. And, in this case, it does. And, I support it. So there.
on 29 Nov 2006 at 9:12 pm 5.Michelle from Madison said …
Nancy Grace totally screwed up again on Thursday night on her show, as she again demonstrated she cannot decipher between “emotions” and “facts.” Nancy truly has an inability to decipher that difference and is one of the many reasons the city of Atlanta threw Nancy out on her butt. (Good for you, Atlanta!) Nancy has become a dangerous instrument to those that are still un-informed to the real record of Nancy Grace. And, for those poor individuals who still maintain an attitude-of-defiance and ignorance to the real facts, only serve to prove the point of just how dangerous Nancy Grace actually is to those poor uneducated souls (Billi). Ignorance and resistance-to-the-facts does not create a factual basis for comments from them, it only serves to prove their own ignorance. For these people to continue to attempt to attack others that they feel so inferior to, when they witness crimes they see Nancy commit or they see statements/documents about Nancy that they cannot yet fully understand, all they have to do is quickly close their eyes. Then, those people (Billi) can comment that Nancy never committed the crimes she just did, because they could then say that they never saw Nancy “actually” commit the crime. (ha ha ha ha, that really is hilarious) And, they (Bill) can simply continue to attack others on this and other sites that they still feel so inferior to. Whew, dealing with some psychologically-deficient-individuals like them can be both fun and evoking of sincere sympathy for them too. To attack others because they do not understand the facts is dysfunctional, and is an indicator to some of their underlying deficiencies. (Billi, do not continue to demonstrate your inability to function unassisted again, you should try to stay out of your psych-hospital).
on 08 Dec 2006 at 9:47 pm 6.Michelle from Madison said …
On Friday Dec 8th, Nancy Grace was a guest on the Glen Beck show where she tried to come across as being “confident” regarding the Duckett lawsuit against her. But, Nancy only came across as someone in great fear of the likely upcoming outcome of that case. Sorry Nancy, don’t forget to bring your check-book with you to court. You are going to have to pay huge bucks on this case. Perhaps, Nancy, it may be cheaper for you just to not victimize the victims. It would also save lives if you did that Nancy.
on 26 Dec 2006 at 6:26 pm 7.Michelle from Madison said …
Joe Scarborough’s show of MSNBC broadcasted another show that indicates that there is now a “suspect” (person-of-interest) in the Trenton Duckett case, and that the investigation is still on-going as of this date. The clip also confirms that “Nancy Grace is scared to death” about the Duckett lawsuit (and more lawsuits) coming against her and CNN for Nancy’s unprofessional and illegal conduct documented thus far in the Duckett case. If criminal charges come against Nancy, wonder if CNN will cover what Nancy gets served for dinner after she goes to prison? Hope the tickets are available soon for the upcoming trials against Nancy for her direct connection in the deaths of more people who were never criminally convicted including Melinda Duckett. Maybe Nancy will receive “chicken-on-bone” meal with a small cup of ice-cream.” If that is the case, maybe the public should conjure up a public-out-cry against Nancy for getting chicken and ice-cream in prison where she will likely also have access to a television too, but not to cable-television to watch Nancy’s replacement on her show. Ohhh, too bad Nancy. People have told you Nancy, you cannot continue to victimize the victims. Sounds like Nancy’s civil-illegal actions are finally catching up to Nancy, as it does with most criminals.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lF-w00BfRS0
on 24 Jan 2007 at 3:36 pm 8.Michelle from Madison said …
It is now alleged that Trenton Duckett is now overseas. So who did Melinda Duckett kill? Nancy Grace alleged Melinda killed someone, but who? Sounds like Melinda Duckett handed off Trenton before she killed herself after being falsely accused of killing Trenton by Nancy Grace. Ouch, that is surely going to hurt Nancy Grace in her upcoming lawsuits. And, good for Melinda to save that child from that dispicable trash of a dad Josh.
on 08 Feb 2007 at 8:55 pm 9.Michelle from Madiso said …
Another victim of Nancy Grace’s unfounded slanderous allegations, and confirmed acts-of-criminal-defamation and erroneous speculation, dies today. Poor Anna Nichol Smith. What is the “magic number” of victims of Nancy’s ‘bashing’ will it take before Nancy is finally behind bars where she belongs for the crimes Nancy continues to inflict against non-convicted victims?
on 09 Dec 2007 at 1:08 am 10.Michelle from Madison said …
Late on Saturday night, December 8th, a Fox show named “The Soup” had a segment where they really bashed Nancy for just being Nancy. The worst jab was when the news broadcaster laughed at Nancy for “naturally getting pregnant at age 60.” In all due respect to that show, Nancy is way too old to have kids at this late-stage in her life. Those kids will still be in high-school when Nancy is at the age-of-retirement. That, alone, is child-abuse in and of itself. What a stupid reason for Nancy to have kids just to get a tax-credit. Plus, her name is not legally Nancy Grace anyways. That must be her planned-defense in some of her upcoming lawsuits against her for her for crimes including the documented unprofessional and illegal conduct against a mother of a missing young child. Nancy must plan to say on the stand “You can’t sue me, I am not Nancy Grace, I got married and changed my name. You have the wrong person here.”
on 27 Mar 2008 at 12:09 pm 11.The Cressman Law Firm, PA said …
This just shows that angry, vengeful people that enjoy hurting others frequently make it into lucrative jobs. Criminal police, criminal religious clergy, criminal politicians, a criminal president, criminal bank lenders, and now criminal show hosts…It looks like ethics and morality have been filed away to the trash.
on 27 Jun 2008 at 9:12 pm 12.Angela Haggert said …
I read on some website that Nancy Grace was convicted on a high-court misdemeanor and ordered to pay out millions of dollars for her irrational and illegal actions she perpetrated against a distraught mother of a missing child who later committed suicide as a direct result of Nancy’s law violations. CNN and Nancy have worked hard to cover up those facts and it remains some of the reasons why Nancy is never allowed to appear on any television show of CNN without at least one of her Psychologists or Psychiatrists present to help Nancy deal with her documented psychological problems that Nancy says she has to remain on medications for, for the rest of her life. Is that why Nancy can still not be left alone with either of her two children? Is it because of the propensity and potential toxicity of Nancy’s meds, or is it because Nancy may become violatile again and harm the children?
on 28 Sep 2008 at 5:43 am 13.Michelle from Madison said …
OCALA - Several weeks after a federal judge in Ocala denied a motion to dismiss a wrongful death lawsuit brought against television talk show host Nancy Grace and her parent company, CNN, the network has responded with a volley of denials to the allegations, court records show. In a document filed Aug. 19, the defendants deny their actions intentionally inflicted emotional distress on former Lake County resident Melinda Duckett or her surviving parents, Bethann and William Eubank, of Lockport, N.Y. The defendants go on to list several reasons why Grace or the network should not be held responsible for Duckett’s suicide, which took place just a day after she was grilled on Grace’s show on Sept. 7, 2006.
Such defenses include: that the TV host is protected by the First Amendment, that she acted without malice, that her conduct was privileged, that the Eubanks do not meet “a stringent standard” for an intentional infliction of emotional distress claim and that the plaintiff’s claims are barred by actions the defendants believe Duckett brought upon herself.
Denial of the charges was expected, said plaintiff’s attorney Kara Skorupa. Skorupa said while she is a firm believer in free speech, “you can’t hide behind the First Amendment.” If you harm somebody, you can’t hide behind an amendment that was never meant to shield you from liability,” she said, adding the case is now moving into the discovery phase.
CNN had no comment Friday. Duckett, 21, agreed to be questioned by Grace by telephone regarding the disappearance of her 2-year-old son, Trenton, who she reported missing on Aug. 27, 2006. Her parents say she agreed to do the interview, thinking it would enlist the public’s help in finding her son. Instead, they say Grace pummeled her with veiled accusations that she murdered her son. The next day, Duckett shot herself at her grandparents’ home in The Villages, leaving behind three suicide notes-one for her adoptive parents, one to her grandparents, and one to the public. The network decided to air the interview anyway, just hours after learning of her death. Next Wednesday marks the two-year anniversary of Trenton’s disappearance.