NFL Superstar Seeks To Quash Sex Tape

NOVEMBER 15--NFL star Von Miller, the reigning Super Bowl MVP, is seeking to quash the distribution of a sex tape that was recorded several months ago while the Denver Broncos linebacker was vacationing in Mexico, The Smoking Gun has learned.

Lawyers for the 27-year-old athlete last week petitioned a Los Angeles judge to issue a restraining order barring Miller’s sex partner from selling or commercially exploiting the tape, which the Los Angeles woman filmed with her phone and reportedly offered to sell to Miller for $2.5 million.

While the Los Angeles Superior Court action only lists the name “Doe” as plaintiff, TSG has confirmed that Miller is the shrouded party described as “one of the most talented people at his craft in the United States” and someone who is “widely recognized as the world’s best at his job.”

In response to the court application, Judge Amy Hogue yesterday issued a temporary restraining order barring Elizabeth Ruiz, Miller’s sex partner, from distributing, copying, or releasing the tape. The original November 8 filing was made by the general counsel of Vanguard Sports Group, Miller’s agent.

In July, Miller signed a six-year, $114.5 million contract with Denver, making him the NFL’s highest paid defensive player. The contract came five months after Miller’s dominating performance in Super Bowl 50, which Denver won, 24-10, over the Carolina Panthers.

Miller, already one of the NFL’s most charismatic stars, expanded his post-Super Bowl fame with an appearance on “Dancing with the Stars.” He was eliminated from the TV show after five episodes, but not before donning a white jumpsuit and channeling Vegas-era Elvis Presley while dancing to “A Little Less Conversation.” Miller also has a range of endorsements (Microsoft, Best Buy, Beats by Dre, Adidas, Old Spice, a sock line) and one of the NFL’s top-selling jerseys. He even got slimed in mid-July at the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Sports Awards.

In arguing for the restraining order, Miller’s lawyer 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.” The distribution of a sex tape showing the “most intimate of physical acts between a man and woman” would harm that commercial appeal, wrote lawyer Andrew Kim.

According to the Los Angeles court filing, Miller “engaged in consensual sexual intercourse” with Ruiz, an aspiring model/actress, while vacationing in Cancun in late-June. Accompanied by a couple of male friends, Ruiz, and several other women, Miller rented Villa Albatros, an 11,500-square-foot beachfront residence. Instagram photos show Miller, Ruiz, and the other vacationers riding jet skis, parasailing, lounging poolside, and, as seen in the below image, preparing to take a private jet for a night out in Miami.

Ruiz (seen above) recorded herself having sex with Miller “while they were alone indoors,” the court filing reports. “Plaintiff insisted at all times that the recording be kept private. Ruiz agreed that she would keep the recording private,” added Miller’s attorney.

Upon returning to the U.S., Miller spoke with Ruiz on the phone and reminded her that “he did not want anyone to see the recording and asked Ruiz to erase the recording.” Ruiz responded, “Gotcha,” according to the court application.

In mid-September--two months after Miller’s nine-figure contract was announced--a representative for the football player was contacted by Kevin Blatt, an L.A. businessman who has brokered the sale of numerous celebrity sex tapes. Blatt, the court filing states, reported that Ruiz had sought his assistance in selling her tape, adding that she wanted to become the next Kim Kardashian.

Days after being contacted by Blatt, Miller’s agent received a letter from Corey Boddie, a lawyer representing Ruiz. Boddie subsequently met with Miller’s representatives and showed them portions of the recording of Ruiz having sex with Miller in Cancun.

During subsequent conversations with Miller’s lawyers, Boddie reported that Ruiz wanted $2.5 million “to transfer ownership of the recording” to Miller, otherwise she would publicly release the video. According to the court filing, Boddie described his client as “itchy” and someone who “could care less” about the law.

In response to the seven-figure demand and the threat to release the sex tape, Martin Singer, one of Miller’s lawyers, “told Boddie that Ruiz’s demand was extortion.” On October 20, the filing states, Boddie contacted Singer to say that he was no longer representing Ruiz (who apparently dumped Blatt earlier in October).

Asked about the allegations in the restraining order application, Boddie said, “I have no comment on any of it.”

Ruiz did not respond to TSG e-mails seeking comment about the legal action, which portrays her as a shakedown artist seeking to “shame and humiliate” Miller. The athlete’s lawyers charge that while Ruiz “desperately craves fame and fortune,” she is “willing to settle for fortune if she could not also achieve fame.” (9 pages)