Report: Von Miller Says He's Being Extorted For Sex Tape
3578610DENVER (CBS4) - As first reported by TheSmokingGun.com, Super Bowl MVP Von Miller is trying to keep a sex tape under wraps.
It obtained the legal documents filed in L.A. County Superior Court that, according to sources, list Von Miller as "Doe" and describe him as "one of the most talented people at his craft in the U.S. and the world."
The documents reveal that Miller met a woman named Elizabeth Ruiz during a trip to Cancun, Mexico in June. The sex tape apparently is of the two of them.
Miller said the woman took video of them having sex on her cellphone. He later said he asked her to keep it private and later asked her to destroy the video. She reportedly replied, "Gotcha."
According to TMZ, Miller then claimed the woman tried to sell the video to them but TMZ rejected the offer. Court documents say she is asking for $2.5 million from Miller for ownership of the tape.
Miller went to court to try to block the woman from going public with the tape.
Miller posted a video of him on vacation in Cancun on his twitter account.
It is unclear whether any of the women in the video are Ruiz.
Miller's lawyer also noted that his client "depends on the appeal of his persona to many different people from virtually all walks of life, including families and children."
A criminal investigation was never launched into the blackmail incident, but CBS4 learned a judge has granted a temporary restraining order barring a video from being released.
Karen Steinhauser, CBS4's legal analyst, says while the incident may fall under some state's "revenge porn" statutes there may also be no criminal case at all.
"A tape that shows two people having sex, I don't know if that's enough for a jury to say, 'Yes, this is extortion,'" said Steinhauser, a former prosecutor.
An investigation could have actually caused Miller more harm. Instead he filed a civil lawsuit and requested an injunction from a California judge barring Ruiz from copying or disseminating the video at all.
"All he has to do with this protection order is show imminent harm (to Miller's reputation) should this recording be released," Steinhauser said.
LINKS: Read The Summons | Read The Complaint
