Girls Gone Gild founder Joe Francis pulled out of a court hearing on Friday - because he is sick with an infection in Mexico.

The embattled adult filmmaker was scheduled to appear before a judge in Panama City, Florida but his attorney provided a doctor's note and explained his client is in a Mexican hospital, fighting off an ear infection and a high fever.

According to blogger Perez Hilton, Francis was due to face up to a civil suit filed by four Florida women who allege the sex movie boss filmed them while they were underage.