After years of litigation, Hulk Hogan and Gawker Media have finally arrived at a settlement in the invasion privacy lawsuit that Hogan filed.
The "Hulk" whose real name is Terry Bollea, had complained that Gawker published a sex tape starring Bollea and the wife of a former friend. A jury in Florida has decided against Gawker Media last March and awarded $140 million to Hogan which decision forced Gawker to declare bankruptcy, sending its assets to a court-supervised auction.
In a New York bankruptcy court settlement, Hogan was awarded $31 million in addition to a portion of the Gawker auction sale. 3 stories, including the one featuring Bollea, will be removed from the internet and Gawker Media will no longer appeal the March judgment.
Nick Denton, the founder of Gawker, finally relieved by the decision, blogged: " the saga is over", but what he resented much was the removal of the stories. Court litigations are difficult to go through but in the case of Hogan, he was financed by Peter Thiel, a billionaire from Silicon Valley.
Thiel, who was touted as gay by Gawker in 2007, has also financed other lawsuits against Gawker and has promised to continue doing so. Denton explained that he expected that the appeals court would reduce the judgment against him, Gawker Media, and the writer who made the articles and expected favorable decision on the 2 other suits filed by Thiel's lawyer, Charles Harder.
Denton was enticed to settle since a protracted legal battle would be costly, entail too much time and affect many people. The legal protagonists seem to agree with him, finally agreeing on the terms of the settlement and wrapping up the lawsuit involving a famous personality like Hulk Hogan.
The case was really about the freedom of expression guaranteed to persons by the constitution running against the right to privacy which is equally an important aspect of democracy.
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