Hulk Hogan’s just got another $25 million in his already robust $115 million judgement against Gawker. A jury awarded Hogan the extra money for punitive damages, after he successfully argued that the media outlet breached his privacy by posting a secret sextape between him and his best friend’s wife.
Reports the New York Times:
After a two-week trial in a St. Petersburg, Fla., courtroom, jurors ordered Gawker, an online news organization, and its two co-defendants to pay the 62-year-old former wrestler — addressed in court as Terry G. Bollea, his given name — more than $25 million in punitive damages.
Gawker Media was ordered to pay $15 million; the company’s founder, Nick Denton, was assessed $10 million; and Gawker.com’s former editor in chief, Albert J. Daulerio, must come up with $100,000.
In court, Mr. Bollea did not visibly react to the latest award, in contrast to Friday, when he burst into tears. In a statement after Monday’s decision, Mr. Bollea’s lawyers said the former wrestler felt vindicated, expressing the hope that the ruling would “deter others from victimizing innocent people.”
Gawker will most definitely appeal the judgement, and possibly settle for a smaller amount. “There is so much this jury deserved to know and, fortunately, that the appeals court does indeed know,” said Heather Dietrick, president and general counsel of Gawker Media, in a statement reported by Wired. “So we are confident we will win this case ultimately based on not only on the law but also on the truth.”
Hulk’s big win comes weeks after sports host Erin Andrews was awarded $55 million after a hotel owner secretly recorded her naked and posted the footage online.
As for the former wrestling star, his public image has yet to fully recovered since he was exposed for using the n-word in regards to his daughter dating Black men.
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Photo: AP Photo/Steve Nesius, Pool
