Jerry Springer sued over man's death after family claim the show caused him 'mental distress'

Television personality Jerry Springer is being sued by the family of a man who killed himself, as they claim controversial talk show caused him “severe emotional anguish.”

Kentucky-born Blake Alvey appeared on The Jerry Springer Show on 25 May 2018. During the episode, he was ambushed by his then-fiancée Cassie Rutter, who proceeded to confess to Alvey that she’d been having an affair with his friend and was ending their relationship.

She also admitted to selling the engagement ring he gave her.

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Later, the show brought out the man Rutter was cheating on Alvey with and the two men got into a physical fight while the audience egged them on.

Alvey’s close relatives alleged that the show caused “intentional” harm to father-of-one Alvey to “elicit an extreme reaction from him” and that the producers acted “negligently.” They went on to argue that producers at NBC Universal displayed “reckless disregard for the lives and safety of others” during the filming of Alvey’s episode.

“The aforementioned conduct of the Defendants was extreme and outrageous and caused the Decedent to experience severe and extreme emotional and mental distress in the weeks following the taping and airing,” the lawsuit spelled out. “On June 3, 2018, [Alvey] shot himself in the head with a firearm and, as a result, died.”

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According to Louisville news station WDRB, the family are seeking unspecified damages and a trial.

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