I'm very disturbed by the promo for "Kid Nation."

Though CBS denies any wrongdoing and has said that the making of the show did not violate any laws, some "Kid Nation" participants -- all of whom were between the ages of 8 and 15 -- were injured during the course of the filming, according to news reports. A few young participants accidentally drank bleach, one kid sprained an arm and one child sustained a burn from hot grease.

The kicker? The parents of these kids had to sign a contract saying they would not sue over anything that might happen to their kids -- up to and including death.

According to the document posted on TheSmokingGun.com, the parents were told, via the contract they signed, that the show was "inherently dangerous" and could expose their children to "uncontrolled hazards and conditions that may cause serious bodily injury, illness or death." The parents had to relinquish all legal claims on CBS if anything did happen to their children. Oh, and unless the families stick to the terms of a confidentiality agreement that the network is still enforcing, they could be liable for a $5 million penalty.

All for a $5,000 "stipend," which is what most kids got for participating in the show. (Some kids got an additional $20,000 if they won competitions within the show.)

Oh wait, are you saying that while the parents can't sue, the kids can?

Though CBS denies any wrongdoing and has said that the making of the show did not violate any laws, some "Kid Nation" participants -- all of whom were between the ages of 8 and 15 -- were injured during the course of the filming, according to news reports. A few young participants accidentally drank bleach, one kid sprained an arm and one child sustained a burn from hot grease.

The kicker? The parents of these kids had to sign a contract saying they would not sue over anything that might happen to their kids -- up to and including death.

According to the document posted on TheSmokingGun.com, the parents were told, via the contract they signed, that the show was "inherently dangerous" and could expose their children to "uncontrolled hazards and conditions that may cause serious bodily injury, illness or death." The parents had to relinquish all legal claims on CBS if anything did happen to their children. Oh, and unless the families stick to the terms of a confidentiality agreement that the network is still enforcing, they could be liable for a $5 million penalty.

All for a $5,000 "stipend," which is what most kids got for participating in the show. (Some kids got an additional $20,000 if they won competitions within the show.)

Can they just up and sue? Don't they have to be declared emancipated from their parents first, or something? (I really don't know how that works...)

The 22-page agreement leaves little room for parents to argue that they did not know what their children might encounter. As is standard in such agreements, the parents and the children agreed not to hold the producers and CBS responsible if their children died or were injured, if they received inadequate medical care, or if their housing was unsafe and caused injury.

But while such agreements might be standard for adult participants in a reality show, it also takes on a different tone when the minor and the parent are being held solely responsible for any ''emotional distress, illness, sexually transmitted diseases, H.I.V. and pregnancy'' that might occur if the child ''chooses to enter into an intimate relationship of any nature with another participant or any other person.''

Parent cannot contract away child's right to sue.
Trial, February, 2002 by Stephanie Levy


A child can file an action even if his or her parent has signed a release that purports to contract away the child's right to sue, the Utah Supreme Court has ruled. (Hawkins v. Peart, No. 20000562, 2001 WL 1326999 (Utah Oct. 30, 2001).)

Parents Can't Waive Child's Right to Sue for Skateboard Park Injuries
N.J. appellate ruling could apply to other venues of inherently risky activities
Henry Gottlieb
New Jersey Law Journal
March 24, 2005

Parent cannot sign away child's rights, Colorado court rules.
Trial, September, 2002 by Sara Hoffman Jurand


A parent cannot release a minor's prospective negligence claims, the Colorado Supreme Court has ruled. A liability waiver signed by a mother does not preclude her son's suit, the court said in reversing the trial court's summary judgment order.

"It's not a federal question, so there's no national answer," says Paul Anderson, associate director of the National Sports Law Institute at Marquette University in Milwaukee. "Each state set its own standards."