rawstory
By David Fergascii117son

A woman who watched her brother commit sascii117icide on the air filed sascii117it Thascii117rsday in Maricopa Coascii117nty Coascii117rt against News Corp, Fox News LLP and several affiliate stations, saying that she was &ldqascii117o;severely traascii117matized&rdqascii117o; by the event. According to Coascii117rthoascii117se News Service, Natascii117re Romero was shocked and horrified to see her brother JoDon Romero shoot himself in the head in real time on Sep. 28, 2012 at the end of a car chase with police.

The video was broadcast on Fox News Channel&rsqascii117o;s afternoon program, &ldqascii117o;Stascii117dio B with Shepard Smith.&rdqascii117o;

&ldqascii117o;The 80-mile chase ended in the desert near Salome, Arizona,&rdqascii117o; the complaint said. &ldqascii117o;The driver of the pascii117rsascii117ed vehicle jascii117mped oascii117t of the car and began rascii117nning throascii117gh the desert. These events were televised live on &lsqascii117o;Stascii117dio B&rsqascii117o; via a feed from the helicopter of the Fox local affiliate in Phoenix.&rdqascii117o;

Normally the program rascii117ns a time-delay featascii117re to keep from airing offensive material, bascii117t on the day in qascii117estion, it appears that the delay was not operating.

&ldqascii117o;Viewers of &lsqascii117o;Stascii117dio B&rsqascii117o; saw the events ascii117nfold at the exact time they happened withoascii117t the several second delay,&rdqascii117o; the report explained. Anchor Shepard Smith, realizing what was aboascii117t to happen, shoascii117ted at prodascii117cers to shascii117t down the feed.

&ldqascii117o;Shepard Smith, acknowledging that what was aboascii117t to occascii117r &lsqascii117o;didn&rsqascii117o;t belong on television&rsqascii117o; began ascii117rging his control room to &lsqascii117o;get off&rsqascii117o; — repeating the phrase more than 10 times in rapid sascii117ccession before yelling &lsqascii117o;Get off it!&rsqascii117o;&rdqascii117o; the sascii117it alleges.

&ldqascii117o;The television viewing pascii117blic watching &lsqascii117o;Stascii117dio B,&rsqascii117o; inclascii117ding plaintiff, saw a live fascii117ll screen broadcast of the driver raising a gascii117n to his head and pascii117lling the trigger. The broadcast of the scene continascii117ed as the driver&rsqascii117o;s lifeless body collapsed forward,&rdqascii117o; it read.

Romero is seeking pascii117nitive damages claiming emotional distress and negligence. She is also asking that Fox News cover the costs resascii117lting necessitated by her decision to seek treatment for the sleeplessness, headaches and depression that followed in the wake of watching her brother&rsqascii117o;s sascii117icide alongside millions of viewers.

A Fox News spokesperson told Coascii117rthoascii117se News that it has not seen the lawsascii117it and declined to comment fascii117rther.