Mom Says Tyra Banks Show|Exploited Her Daughter

ATLANTA (CN) - A mother claims Tyra Banks and Warner Bros. flew her minor child across state lines without her knowledge or consent, to put the girl "before millions of television viewers as a 'sex addict,' without parental knowledge or consent," on "The Tyra Banks Show." The mom says the show knew the girl was a minor, and advertised her as a "fifteen year-old sex addict."

Beverly McClendon sued on her own behalf and on behalf of her daughter, in Federal Court. She sued Warner Bros., Banks, and three of the show's producers, Benny Medina, Kerrie Moriarty and John Redmann.

"In October of 2009, The Tyra Banks Show, via their website, invited members of the public to contact the show if they were 'sex addicts,'" McClendon says in her complaint. She says her daughter, "a minor, responded to the solicitation via the website, and claimed to be a sexual addict. The Tyra Banks Show responded by calling the minor's cellular phone and inviting her to appear as a guest on the show."

McClendon says the show's agents booked her daughter for a Nov. 3, 2009 flight from Atlanta to New York, put her up in a hotel in New York City, alone, and put her on the show.

"The defendants had a limousine service retrieve the minor plaintiff, alone, from her home and transport her to Atlanta-Hartsfield International Airport, where there was an e-ticket for her to travel to New York City, unaccompanied," the complaint states.

"The minor plaintiff appeared on the show, alone, and was interviewed by Tyra Banks as a person declared to be a sex addict." All of this, McClendon says, with without her knowledge or consent.

McClendon says that when her daughter went missing, she "filed a missing person's report with the local police department." She says the defendants "continue to air the show on their website and on YouTube."

"The sole intent of the defendants was to exploit the minor plaintiff to increase ratings," McClendon says. "The tag for the show advertised a 'fifteen year-old sex addict.'"

She adds: "The minor plaintiff has never been diagnosed as a sex addict. The sole intent of the defendants' programming was to increase ratings in order to gain advertising revenue. The defendants' actions were fraudulent, showed a wantonness and evidenced an entire want of care which raises presumption of conscious indifference to the consequence of their actions."

McClendon claims: "The child appeared on a nationally televised show, advertising and promoting the appearance of a 15 year-old sex addict. This show was undoubtedly watched by sexual deviants, perverts and pedophiles alike."

McClendon adds that the defendants didn't get a labor certificate for the minor girl from the Commissioner of Labor, in violation of state law.

McClendon and her daughter seek punitive damages for negligence, privacy invasion, and want the videos of the show pulled from the Internet.

They are represented by Wanda Jackson and George Lawson Jr.

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