SHORT TAKES : AIDS Disclosure Brings Lawsuit

SACRAMENTO —  A young mother is suing a Sacramento television station because it allegedly disclosed she had AIDS after promising not to air any information about her personal life.

The suit filed recently in Sacramento Superior Court also claims that KCRA-TV reported the woman’s son had tested positive for AIDS at birth, which was not true.

The complaint alleges libel, fraud and invasion of privacy, and seeks an unspecified amount in damages. In addition to the station, the suit names reporter Joe Oliver. KCRA-TV is an NBC affiliate owned by Kelly Broadcasting. The station’s attorney, Rick Robinson, said, “We’re not in a position to comment until such time as we have reviewed the complaint.”

The suit was filed just before the anniversary of the Dec. 24, 1988, airing of a “To Be Somebody” program that featured an interview with the young woman that was part of a report on the Birthing Project, a community program that pairs new young mothers with “big sisters.”