LOS ANGELES (CN) - The French ex-boyfriend of Shauna Sand says Vivid Entertainment cheated him out of "massive" profits from the sex video he made with the former Playboy Playmate. Antoine Berlier says he was "of enormous value" to Vivid because of his "natural attributes" and because his boyfriend status gave the sex tape a "layer of respectability."
Vivid executives had Berlier sign a release written in English, even though he only speaks French, Berlier claims in Los Angeles Superior Court.
Berlier says he and Sand made the "private" sex tape when they were dating.
"Plaintiff plays the male role in the tape," the lawsuit states. "He was of enormous value to Vivid not only because of natural attributes, but also because it was and is understood in the marketplace that he was Ms. Sand's boyfriend, lending the video an (albeit thin) layer of respectability - at least pursuant to the standards of the pornography industry."
Sand, who got her start on the TV show "Renegade" opposite future husband Lorenzo Lamas, later inked a deal with Vivid to distribute the sex tape, Berlier claims. She is not a party to the complaint.
Berlier says Vivid employees filmed him reading bits of an English-language contract, but he claims the contract is void because no one translated it for him. He says he had no idea about the deal between Sand and Vivid and didn't know what he was signing.
Berlier demands punitive damages. He is represented by David Erikson.
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