OCALA, Fla. (AP) - A judge has ruled that a lawsuit between relatives of a missing boy's mother who killed herself after aggressive questioning by CNN's Nancy Grace and the talk-show host will be tried in federal court.

According to court documents, US Magistrate Judge Gary R. Jones has ruled that federal court would handle the suit because the involved parties are from different jurisdictions.

The lawsuit claims that Grace caused severe emotional distress that led to Melinda Duckett's suicide in 2006.

Grace grilled Duckett on her show about the disappearance of Duckett's 2-year-old son Trenton Duckett. Melinda Duckett fatally shot herself before the network aired the pre-taped interview.

The lawsuit -- which was filed in November 2006 -- names Grace and CNN as defendants.

(Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)