Judge Pulls Sex Tapes Off Web Site

Verne Troyer managed to get the sex tape starring him and a former girlfriend out of circulation, at least for a while, last night, after a federal judge granted a temporary restraining order requested by his attorneys. The celebrity Web site TMZ pulled the 25-second snippet of the Austin Powers actor that had been up since Wednesday, and the ruling also blocks any attempt by a porn distributor to take orders for the full 50-minute video.

The judge wrote that Troyer's motion "demonstrated that he will suffer irreparable harm to his reputation" if the tape is distributed. Troyer's lawsuit also seeks $20 million in damages and the return of all copies of the tape. "Mr. Troyer is extremely distraught by the recent exploitation of his private life," Troyer's publicist wrote in a statement released to the AP. Troyer claims the sex tape he made with a former girlfriend, which he never intended to become public, was stolen from his home. (More Verne Troyer stories.)