Palm Beach County- Two former Palm Beach County sheriff’s deputies involved in an internet sex scandal have lost the latest round in court.

The 11th U.S. Circuit court of appeals has ruled against former deputies Ronald Thaeter and Timothy Moran.

They sued the sheriff’s office in federal court, saying their first amendment right to free speech had been violated when then Sheriff Ed Bieluch fired them in 2001.

The two deputies were videotaped and photographed engaging in sex acts with their wives and multiple partners, and the pictures were placed on several pay-per-view pay web sites.

Bieluch who now serves as a priest at a local church is pleased with the appeals court ruling.

The scandal also involved photos of a nude woman posing on a sheriff’s squad car.

The appeals court made the ruling Friday. We were unable to reach the two former deputies for comment.

Another deputy Jack Maxwell also appeared in some of the sexually-explict photos.