LOS ANGELES — Verne Troyer successfully shut down the distribution of a sex tape featuring the “Austin Powers” actor and a former girlfriend — for now.
The celebrity Web site TMZ posted a 25-second snipped of the video Wednesday, but pulled the clips down Friday evening after a federal judge granted a temporary restraining order requested by Troyer’s attorneys.
The ruling also prevents any attempt by a porn distributor from taking orders for the full 50-minute video, and keeps TMZ from broadcasting any more clips. Troyer’s lawsuit also seeks $20 million in damages and the return of all copies of the tape.
U.S. District Judge Philip Gutierrez wrote that Troyer’s motion “demonstrated that he will suffer irreparable harm to his reputation” if the tape is distributed.
Troyer’s attorney, Tracy Rane, said she, Troyer and others are “very pleased” by Gutierrez’s ruling.
“Mr. Troyer is extremely distraught by the recent exploitation of his private life,” Troyer’s publicist, Melissa Bergera, wrote in a statement released to the AP.
TMZ did not return calls seeking comment on the case Friday. Although the video excerpt showing Troyer kissing his then-girlfriend was removed, another post describing the actor’s lawsuit remained active.
Troyer, most famous for his role as “Mini Me” in two of the “Austin Powers” movies, claims the sex tape he made with a former girlfriend, which he never intended to become public, was stolen from his home some months ago.
