Hulkamania has run wild on Gawker as professional wrestler Hulk Hogan been awarded USD115 million in damages against Gawker Media and its CEO Nick Denton.
This entire lawsuit stems from Gawker publishing a sextape between Terry Bollea (Hulk Hogan’s real name) and Heather Cole, which was recorded by Bollea’s friend Todd Alan Clem (aka Bubba the Love Sponge). Bollea had initially sued Clem for recording the video, but both parties have since settled the case outside of court.
With Clem now out of the picture, Bollea turned his sights to Gawker, the website that was responsible for publishing the sex tape online. Going into the case, Gawker argues that its decision to publish the video is protected by the First Amendment and argues that Bollea referred to his sexual exploits in public so frequently that it is difficult for him to claim that his privacy was infringed.
Bollea’s lawyers argues that the video was not newsworthy and thus, it is not protected by the First Amendment. The lawyers also claim that the publication has caused him “emotional stress and harm” and that Gawker published said video for financial gain. As for Bollea referring to his sexual exploits in public, the lawyers say that those boasts are made by the Hulk Hogan character and not Bollea himself. They claim that while the Hogan character does not have much privacy to violate, Bollea does.
With the trial all done and dusted, the jury has decided to award Bollea USD115 million in damages, with punitive damages to be added to the sum. Not surprisingly, Gawker will be appealing the decision. However, should their appeal fail, it is very likely that Gawker Media and its many websites (Kotaku, Deadspin, Jalopnik etc.) may have to shut down.
Source: CNN, New York Times
