Mom Sues for Daughter's Bad Decision Print
Wednesday, October 27 2010

A mom is suing "The Tyra Banks Show" after her daughter falsified documents to appear on the show.
 
Last October, 15-year-old Jewel (last name withheld), responded to a solicitation on the talk show's website searching for guests for an upcoming show about sex addicts.  After signing her mother's name to the consent and release forms and sending them in, Jewel was flown to New York to appear on the show.  Jewel's mother, Beverly McClendon, is suing the show and its distributor for $3 million, claiming she knew nothing about her daughter's plans, never gave her permission, and even filed a missing person report.
 
In a television interview with the Early Show, Jewel admitted, "I was infatuated with Tyra Banks, watched her show every day and just wanted to try it out."  

When interviewed about her daughter's behavior, McClendon said when Jewel asked her to go she "emphatically stated, 'No. Absolutely not.'"
 
Wanda Jackson, McClendon and Jewel's lawyer, added, "I mean, she's a precocious teenager, so she's been a little defiant, as many teens have been and are. Many of us have done things and when we look back, they weren't the best decisions to make. But, that's not our issue. Our issue is this was done without this mother's consent. Or knowledge. ... My 10-year-old signs his report card when it's bad. That's what kids do sometimes. So, you have to have controls in place ... and that's what we're talking about: negligence, extreme negligence. You've got to have controls in place and, in this day and age, with technology and the Internet, she goes online. They fax the consent and release forms. She signs, faxes them back. Too loose, just extreme negligence for a powerhouse, such as that show and that production company."

The lawsuit seeks a jury trial and asks for $1 million in compensatory damages and $2 million in punitive damages. It also asks the court to bar the episode from ever being aired again on television or online.
 
—Source:  cbsnews.com