A $105 million lawsuit alleging Dateline NBC caused the suicide of prosecutor Louis "Bill" Conradt Jr. during a sex sting can go to trial, a federal judge ruled Tuesday.

A jury might conclude the network "crossed the line from responsible journalism to irresponsible and reckless intrusion into law enforcement," U.S. District Judge Denny Chin ruled in New York.

Mr. Conradt, former Kaufman County district attorney, was caught up in a child sex predator sting organized by Dateline NBC, the Internet watchdog group Perverted Justice and Murphy police.

On Nov. 5, 2006, Terrell and Murphy police officers, armed with warrants authorizing Mr. Conradt's arrest and a search of his Terrell home, forced their way in, after he didn't answer their knocks or his telephone.

"I'm not going to hurt anyone," Mr. Conradt told police before shooting himself with a handgun.

Patricia Conradt, sister of the dead prosecutor, filed the suit, which alleged the show's host and producers are more interested in "sensationalizing and dramatizing the Predator series for profit than in news reporting."

The lawsuit says the circumstances of Mr. Conradt's death – such as television cameras outside his house and a blocked-off street – and his position in the legal community made his suicide "reasonably foreseeable."

Ms. Conradt could not be reached for comment Tuesday.

"This decision shows no one is above the law, no matter how powerful," said her lawyer, Bruce Baron.

NBC officials have declined to comment on the suit, other than to say it has no merit and the network intends to vigorously defend itself.

Judge Chin wrote that a reasonable jury could find there was no legitimate law enforcement need for a heavily armed SWAT team to extract a 56-year-old prosecutor from his home, when he was not accused of violence and was not believed to have a gun.

He said a jury might conclude it was done solely to sensationalize and enhance the entertainment value of the arrest.

"A reasonable jury could find that by doing so, NBC created a substantial risk of suicide or other harm, and that it engaged in conduct so outrageous and extreme that no civilized society should tolerate it," Judge Chin said.

Staff writer Steve Thompson and The Associated Press contributed to this report.