CNN Seeks Mental Health Records, Porn Videos Of Melinda Duckett
Woman Committed Suicide After Nancy Grace Interview
POSTED: Friday, January 2, 2009
UPDATED: 9:05 am EST January 2,
2009
ORLANDO, Fla. -- Lawyers representing CNN are seeking sensitive information about Melinda Duckett, who committed suicide shortly after being interviewed by Nancy Grace in 2006, Local 6 News reported.
Duckett's parents filed a wrongful death lawsuit against CNN and Grace two years ago, claiming Grace's interview pushed their 21-year-old daughter to suicide after her 2-year-old son, Trenton, was reported missing.
CNN's attorneys are trying to obtain Duckett's mental health records from LifeStream Behavioral Center, where she was committed after threatening to kill herself a year before Trenton vanished, Local 6 News reported. The psychiatric facility last week refused to turn over Duckett's records to CNN without a court order.
Local 6 News also reported that CNN's legal team is attempting to obtain pornographic videos of Duckett. It's not clear how the explicit videos may help defend the cable network.
Two weeks prior to shooting herself to death, Duckett called 911, saying her son had been kidnapped from the bedroom of her Leesburg apartment. Investigators said Duckett is still the prime suspect in the disappearance of Trenton, who has not been found.
Potential witnesses in the wrongful death lawsuit include Trenton's father, Josh, and Josh's mother, Carla Massero. Duckett's grandparents, with whom she lived, and Andrew Vita, of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, could also be called as witnesses, Local 6 News reported.
Duckett's estate is seeking an undisclosed amount of money, as well as punitive damages, in an effort to punish and deter Grace from using aggressive interview tactics.
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