A jury has awarded Hulk Hogan $115 million in his legal case against Gawker Media. The controversial pro wrestler sued Gawker for $100 million in 2012, accusing the website of invasion of privacy for posting 101 seconds of a sex tape featuring himself and his ex, Heather Clem, also the ex-wife of radio shock jock Bubba the Love Sponge.
“We’re exceptionally happy with the verdict. We think it represents a statement as to the public’s disgust with the invasion of privacy disguised as journalism. The verdict says, ‘No more,’ ” Hogan’s team told E! News.
According to media reports, the jury awarded Hogan $55 million for economic injuries and $60 million for emotional distress and came to a verdict less than six hours after they began deliberations. The jury will reconvene next week to consider punitive damages on top of the $115 million already awarded.
“In its core this case has never, ever, ever been about anything more than Gawker took a secretly recorded sex tape of my client in a private bedroom performing a private act and put it on the internet,” Hogan’s attorney, Kenneth Turkel, reportedly told the jury. Following the ruling, Gawker founder Nick Denton released the following statement via Twitter:
Given key evidence and the most important witness were both withheld from this jury, we all knew… pic.twitter.com/AltYIYnFUC
— Nick Denton (@nicknotned) March 18, 2016
As for the video in question, previously sealed documents made public by Judge Pamela Campbell last week revealed at least three video recordings showing Hogan having sex with Clem. In one clip, Hogan, whose legal name is Terry G. Bollea, can be heard making racially offensive comments. The tapes were never shown in court “Because that video does not show all that much. The video that Gawker posted is not like a real celebrity sex tape,” said Gawker attorney Michael Sullivan. Unfortunately for Gawker, even with the lack of video evidence, the jury thought otherwise.
The FBI began investigating the recordings when an attorney in California contacted Hogan to try to sell him the recordings. Hogan was later fired by the WWE. Following his termination, he issued a public apology saying,”Eight years ago I used offensive language during a conversation. It was unacceptable for me to have used that offensive language; there is no excuse for it; and I apologize for having done it,” he told E! News last year.
“This not who I am. I believe very strongly that every person in the world is important and should not be treated differently based on race, gender, orientation, religious beliefs or otherwise. I am disappointed with myself that I used language that is offensive and inconsistent with my own beliefs.”
