Verne Troyer fighting to stop sex tape release

updated 4:37 p.m. ET July 11, 2008

LOS ANGELES - Attorneys for Verne Troyer are seeking additional protection against the release of a sex tape while they negotiate with a porn broker and distributor, court documents show.

U.S. District Judge Philip S. Gutierrez on Friday granted both sides another week to negotiate before holding a hearing on whether the tape can be sold or released. He also extended a temporary restraining order barring porn distributor SugarDVD from selling or taking orders for the tape, said Tracy Rane, Troyer’s attorney.

She said details of the negotiations are private, but that Troyer still doesn’t want the tape made public.

“Mr. Troyer is working to prohibit the release of the full tape,” Rane said.

Troyer’s attorneys want a one-week delay to continue their negotiations with SugarDVD and Blatt, documents filed Thursday show. They also want Gutierrez to extend his temporary restraining order barring SugarDVD from taking orders or selling the tape.

The actor sued porn distributor SugarDVD, broker Kevin Blatt and celebrity gossip Web site TMZ for $20 million last month and sought to have release of the tape barred.

Troyer is best-known for his role as Mini Me in two of the “Austin Powers” movies.

The filings do not indicate what kind of negotiations are occurring. A lawyer for Troyer did not return a phone message Friday morning and court records do not list attorneys for SugarDVD or Blatt.

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Troyer had claimed the sex tape was stolen from his home, but TMZ presented a statement from his ex-girlfriend, Ranae Shrider, saying she took the tape and authorized parts of its release to TMZ.

TMZ aired parts of the tape on its Web site and TV show, prompting Troyer’s lawsuit. A statement on SugarDVD’s site claimed it was trying to broker a deal for the tape, but that statement has since been removed.

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