Victims of nasty televised pranks pulled by reality TV shows have begun to seek redress for their injuries in the courts.
James and Laurie Ann Ryan's Las Vegas vacation last January was more exciting than they would have liked. Soon after they checked into the Hard Rock Hotel, they found a body in the bathtub. When they tried to leave, hotel security guards and a paramedic detained them…
Both incidents were practical jokes, manufactured by television shows. But the Ryans and Mr. Zelnick were not amused, and they have sued the producers…
Bob Banner, who produced "Candid Camera" in the 1960's, said he could not recall a lawsuit against that show.
"We never tried to embarrass people or put them in a precarious situation," Mr. Banner said. "We did much gentler things."
