An unnamed celebrity anonymously filed suit Tuesday against a woman who he claims is threatening to release a tape of them having sex unless he pays her $2.5 million.
Identified only as Doe in the Los Angeles Superior Court complaint, the plaintiff wants an injunction preventing the defendant, her former attorney and a sex tape broker from allowing anyone to view the tape or duplicating it. He also wants the video and any copies lodged with the court pending the outcome of his lawsuit.
The woman, identified in court papers as Elizabeth Ruiz, could not be immediately reached for comment.
A celebrity website turned down her offer to sell them the tape, according to the suit, which says Doe "has worked hard his entire life to hone his skills and become one of the most talented people in the United States and the world."
He also has received many honors and accolades and "is widely recognized as the world's best at his job," according to his court papers, which state that his ability to benefit from his fame "depends on the appeal of his persona to many different people ... including families and children."
"He cannot count on this appeal if Ruiz exposes images of him in the most intimate of physical acts between a man and a woman, done in private and intended to remain private," his court papers say.
Ruiz has stated that "she wants to be the next Kim Kardashian" and hopes to be catapulted to fame and fortune with the sex tape at Doe's expense, the suit alleges. Kardashian herself was the subject of a sex tape with former boyfriend Ray J.
Doe and Ruiz met in Cancun in June and she used her cell phone to record the two of them having sex, but "agreed that she would keep the recording private," the suit alleges.
Ruiz responded "gotcha" when he reminded her after they returned to the U.S. that he wanted the tape destroyed, the suit alleges.
But in September, a "noted" sex tape broker told Doe's lawyer that Ruiz desired the broker's assistance in selling the video, the suit alleges. The next month, an attorney for Ruiz told Doe's lawyer that the defendant wanted Doe to buy the tape, or else she would "reserve her right to exploit the recording," the complaint alleges.
Ruiz's attorney said his client had shown the tape to him, her mother and the sex tape broker, according to the suit.
Another of Doe's lawyers contacted Ruiz's attorney and the latter said that regardless of the law, Ruiz wanted $2.5 million from Doe or she would release the recording, the suit alleges.
The plaintiff claims Ruiz's lawyer called his client "unpredictable" and said she "may do anything with the recording if she does not get $2.5 million." Ruiz's attorney also said there was a copy of the sex tape he made on an external thumb drive, the suit alleges.
Doe's lawyer, after learning that Ruiz had subsequently fired her attorney, sent a letter to her on Oct. 30 reminding her that his client does not consent to the release of the tape, according to the lawsuit.
"Ruiz has not responded," the suit states.