Texas Reality TV Show Featuring Cannabis Raid is Sued

Reality TV has always been a medium that isn’t afraid to exploit its participants and turn harrowing events into entertainment at the expense of those who experience them, but the state of Texas took this a step further with a proposed show called Texas Takedown. The show was meant to be similar in format to Cops, but focused entirely on the home invasion aspect and the spectacle of drug raids. 

In September of 2011, the show did their trademark bust-down on the door of a 59-year-old woman named Perla Carr. The camera crew turned their weapons on Carr, set to kill, arrester her son, who had a misdemeanor on his record, and confiscated 60 cannabis plants and 6.5 pounds of cannabis. Although all this was found, the charges were eventually dropped due to lack of evidence. 

Now, Carr is suing the TV show for violating her rights. She is claiming that the affidavit used to search the house was bogus, based only on testimonial that people smelled cannabis coming from the house. She is also claiming that having the film crew involved was a violation of her rights, citing the Fourth Amendment, and the U.S. Supreme Court ruling on Wilson vs. Lane, which states, “a violation of the Fourth Amendment for police to bring members of the media or other third parties into a home during the execution of a warrant when the presence of the third parties in the home was not in aid of the execution of the warrant.”

The judge decided in favor of Carr, claiming that the show did not have her sign the proper nondisclosure agreements and the police were at fault in their actions. This is one small victory for all those who have been unfairly raided for cannabis in the past, as well as those who can’t stand reality TV.