Wrestling Legend, Hulk Hogan Awarded With Another $25m Damages in S*x Tape Law Suit

 

 

Hulk Hogan has become even more triumphant after he was awarded an additional $25million in punitive damages by a jury in his s*x tape lawsuit against Gawker on Monday - three days after that same jury ruled in his favour with a $115million judgment.

 

That $25million will be covered by both the site and its owner Nick Denton, who jurors ordered to pay $10million of the punitive damages out of his own pocket.

 

Hogan has been suing Gawker for posting a video of him having s*x, claiming that its publication invaded his privacy. Gawker argued that the material was newsworthy because of Hogan’s celebrity status and prior comments on his s*x life, therefore making it appropriate to publish.

 

The jury's decision came just hours after Judge Pamela Campbell informed the four women and two men deciding the case that Denton is worth $121million while the site is valued at $83million.

 

Judge Campbell also informed the jury that the former editor of the site who posted the video, 41-year-old AJ Daulerio, has no assets and owes $27,000 in student loans. 

 

He was hit even harder than Denton by jurors Monday, who ordered him to pay $100,000 of his own money despite being told about his financial status earlier in the day.

 

Gawker general counsel Heather Dietrick released a statement shortly after the jury returned with their $25million decision stating how confident she was that the site would win the case on appeal. 

 

She said an appeals court could overturn the case because the jury was prohibited from knowing about 'prior court rulings in favor of Gawker, prohibited from seeing critical evidence gathered by the FBI and prohibited from hearing from the most important witness, Bubba Clem.'

 

She said, 'We are confident we will win this case ultimately based on not only on the law but also on the truth.' 

 

Hogan said Monday evening that he thought 'we've protected a lot of people from going through what I went through.'

 

 

 

The smiling 62-year-old, who wore all black throughout the three week trial, added that he's been overwhelmed with support by fans.

 

'Everywhere I show up people treat me like I'm still the champ,' he said.

 

The jury's quick decision on Monday was no surprise, especially since they finished their deliberations in the first phase of the trail after just five hours of deliberation on Friday.

 

That came after two full weeks of testimony during which Hogan, Denton and Daulerio all took the stand.

 

Hogan was awarded $115million from the jury last week - $55million for economic injuries and $60million for emotional distress.

 

That amount was far greater than had been expected in the case, especially since Hogan and his lawyers were only asking for $100million in the privacy suit. 

 

The decisions made by the jury on Friday and Monday add up to $130million that Gawker has been ordered to pay - $47million more than the site's value.