Hulk Hogan awarded $115 million in Gawker sex tape case
The jury in Hulk Hogan's invasion of privacy suit against Gawker Media awarded the ex-wrestler $115 million on Friday.
The six person jury in St. Petersburg, Florida – four women and two men – deliberated for nearly six hours.
Hogan, dressed all in black including a black bandana, cried when the verdict was announced.
The ex-wrestler, whose real name is Terry Bollea, had sued Gawker, founder Nick Denton and former editor A.J. Daulerio for posting the nearly two-minute segment of a Hogan sex tape in 2012. Hogan's suit claimed Gawker violated his privacy and sought $100 million.
"Mr. Bollea is exceptionally happy. This is not only his victory today, but also anyone else who's been victimized by tabloid journalism," his lawyer David Houston said outside the courtroom. Hogan stood quietly behind the lawyer, his sunglasses failing to conceal dried tears on his cheeks.
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Denton read from a prepared statement outside the courthouse Friday evening that said, "Given key evidence and the most important witness were both improperly withheld from this jury, we all knew the appeals court will need to resolve the case. … That's why we feel very positive about the appeal that we have already begun preparing, as we expect to win this case ultimately."
The "most important witness" Denton referred to was radio host Bubba "The Love Sponge" Clem who made the video. The judge in the case quashed Gawker's subpoena to have Clem testify, citing his lack of trustworthiness.
The jury awarded Hogan $55 million for economic injuries and $60 million for emotional distress. Those same jurors will reconvene next week to consider punitive damages on top of the $115 million already awarded.
Florida law requires an appealing party to post a bond for the full amount of damages, but that requirement is capped at $50 million. Denton has been candid about the financial threat posed by the lawsuit. In January, he sold a minority stake in Gawker Media, which he founded in 2002, for the first time as an additional layer of protection.
In closing arguments earlier in the day, Hogan attorney Kenneth Turkel tried to paint the Gawker defendants as indecent gossip-mongers who make a mockery of journalism.
Turkel told the jury that Daulerio "didn't have the common decency" to reach out to any of the parties involved before he posted the video excerpts and the commentary, which "probably tells you all you need to know about Gawker."
Turkel invoked a 2013 interview in which Denton said "invasion of privacy has incredibly positive effects on society."
"Who thinks like that?" the attorney asked incredulously.
http://money.cnn.com/2016/03/18/media/hulk-hogan-gawker-jury-deliberations/index.html