HOLLYWOOD, Fla., Jan. 26 (UPI) -- A former Hollywood. Fla., police officer who appeared in a gay porn film says he plans to sue the department for firing him.
Michael Verdugo, 35, was fired after the Hollywood Police Department learned of his appearance in the 1996 bondage film "Rope Rituals."
Verdugo was fired in January 2009 for not disclosing the film on his job application in 2001, Hollywood Police Chief Chad Wagner said. An arbitrator upheld the termination.
Verdugo, however, believes he was fired because he is gay and said he plans to sue the department for discrimination and wrongful termination. If a male police officer appeared naked in a straight pornography film his fellow police officers would be "high-fiving him in the hallway," Verdugo told The Miami Herald in a story published Tuesday.
The appearance of "Rope Rituals" on the Internet in 2008 also cost Verdugo an appearance as "Mikey V" on HGTV's show Design Star, he said. Verdugo now owns an interior design company and fixes up vacant homes.
