Hulk Hogan speaks out following his massive legal win against Gawker media. As previously reported, the former pro wrestler was awarded $115 million in his sex tape suit against the website, and an additional $25 million in punitive damages.
Although Hogan was offered “a large amount of money” to settle out of court, he revealed that he decided against it because, “If I put my tail between my legs, if I take the money but don’t tell the truth or I don’t face [the situation], I’m not going to be able to live with myself. I knew how unhappy I would be. I told my wife, I said, ‘Jennifer, I just got to follow my heart,'” Hogan tells the New York Post.
“It’s embarrassing, though, believe me,” said Hogan of the highly publicized trial. “After Gawker had posted the video, it was almost like when I lived in Minnesota and the sun went away and it was like seven months of being real cloudy when I lived in the Twin Cities.”
Hogan continued to share the startling news that young fans had approached him disclosing that they tried to download his wrestling videos but found his sex tape instead: “I dealt with so many horrible things, people in public asking me about the tape. I felt like I had, all of a sudden I had a heat lamp on me at all times … All I did was write for 11 days affirmations: I am victorious. I am grateful. I am highly favored by God and His universe.”
In case you missed it, after only three hours of deliberation on Monday, March 21, Gawker Media was hit with $15 million in punitive damages while its founder Nick Denton will have to personally pay $10 million. As for Friday’s big win, the money awarded will cover any and all economic injuries ($55 million) and emotional distress ($60 million) Hogan may have suffered following the release of the graphic clips. In court testimony, Hogan’s lawyer said Gawker Media is worth $83 million while the founder is said to have a net-worth of $121 million pre-judgment.
“I kind of snorted,” Hogan said of his reaction to the ruling. “Everything like my whole head, like a bucket of water was going to come out of my face. It was so overwhelming. It was almost like I was relieved that they believed me…I was so out of it, I didn’t hear the numbers until we got upstairs. I went, ‘Oh!'”
In case you’re playing catch-up, Hogan sued Gawker for $100 million back in 2012, accusing the website of invasion of privacy and other torts after posting 101 seconds of a sex tape featuring the wrestling icon and his ex Heather Clem. “For me, the message is America is tired of this type of behavior, and it’s unacceptable, and it’s illegal,” Hogan told The Post. “I hope [the defendants] learned what the trial was about: that we were actually protecting the First Amendment and carving out that little piece of privacy.”
Meanwhile, the WWE star seems upbeat about his future,:”I’m real excited about actually having some time to spend here because before this, actually, it’s been a wild ride the last 10 years, with divorce [from ex Linda in 2009] and accidents and surgeries. I just hope now I can take a little bit of time and enjoy being around my dogs and the beach here and [wife Jennifer, whom he wed in 2010] and do what feels right … I’m just a normal man. I made mistakes. Everybody deserves a second chance.”
