Ash Knotek/Snappers/ZUMAPress.comSo much for capitalizing on the exposure.
Verne Troyer, best known for playing Dr. Evil's Mini-Me in the last two Austin Powers movies, filed a multimillion-dollar federal lawsuit Thursday against TMZ.com for posting snippets of a sex tape he made sometime over the last year with his then-girlfriend.
The 39-year-old actor says that TMZ disregarded cease-and-desist letters sent both before and after the video showed up on the site.
In addition to the gossip purveyor, which just posted the footage yesterday, Troyer has also sued One Night in Paris peddler Kevin Blatt. He claims that Blatt, who's known for his celeb-porn brokering ways, somehow acquired the stolen tape and, according to TMZ, is currently entertaining a $100,000 distribution offer from SugarDVD.
The adult-film rental company, which at press time was touting the newfound existence of a "full-length 50 minute video of Mini-Me in bed with a hot, young, FULL SIZED sexy woman" on its website, was also named as a defendant in the suit, per documents filed in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles and obtained by E! News.
Troyer, who can currently be seen engaging in shameless little-person humor in The Love Guru, is seeking $20 million in damages, as well as attorneys' fees and an injunction prohibiting any further showing of the video.
A rep for TMZ didn't immediately respond to an email request for comment.
Troyer is alleging violation of privacy, copyright infringement, trademark infringement, violation of right to publicity and misappropriation of name and likeness.