![]() ![]() ![]() But the $140 million judgment that Hogan won in March was merely the explosive edge of the legal war against the site and its parent company that was quietly funded by Silicon Valley investor Peter Thiel, the co-founder of PayPal. Gawker was ostensibly brought low by an invasion-of-privacy lawsuit by former pro wrestler Hulk Hogan over a sex tape of Hogan that Gawker posted in 2012. Gawker Media said Thursday it will close its always brash and sometimes lacerating news and gossip site,, next week, in a capitulation to legal troubles secretly engineered by a business tycoon who bore a long-standing grudge against it. Gawker’s counsel argued that the footage is newsworthy and protected by the First Amendment, and that Hogan should not have had an expectation of privacy.In the end, the vengeful billionaire got his wish. Hogan also filed a motion for a preliminary injunction and a temporary restraining order to have the video removed. Hulk Hogan sued Gawker for $100 million for invasion of privacy for publicly releasing a sex tape that involved Hogan and his friend’s wife. ![]() Listen to David Folkenflik, media correspondent for NPR, speak with the BBC about how the longstanding friction between Thiel and Gawker motivated him to fund Hogan in his suit against the site. ![]() According to Forbes, Thiel had said numerous times that the case was not about the extent of the First Amendment, but rather about an individual’s right to privacy. Thiel’s lawyers said that his involvement in lawsuits against Gawker were brought, in part, because of an economic interest, despite the fact that Thiel had stated previously that the it was not a business venture. Thiel was the subject of a series of Gawker articles that outed him as gay, and that the disclosure was “very painful.” Peter Thiel, a tech billionaire, secretly backed Hogan giving him $10 million for the lawsuit. Why is Silicon Valley Billionaire Peter Thiel involved? Hogan was awarded $140 million in total damages. The jury found that Gawker violated Hogan’s privacy, and that he suffered emotional distress. Gawker: A Guide to the Trial for the Perplexed Berlin of Levine Sullivan, Koch and Schulz This is a crucial issue not only for Gawker, but for all media organizations.” –Gawker chief lawyer Seth D. “Gawker is defending its First Amendment right to join an ongoing conversation about a celebrity when others are talking about it and the celebrity is talking about it. The trial highlighted the tension between the right to privacy and the freedom of the press, and tested the limits of online press freedom. Hogan was the first witness to testify in his lawsuit against Gawker, telling the jury that he was “completely humiliated” by the the video going public, and that he was unaware that the encounter was being filmed. Gawker was forced to file for bankruptcy as a result of the jury ruling. 2016: Gawker & Hogan Reach SettlementĪfter four years of litigation, Gawker and Hogan reached a settlement, in which Hogan was to receive $31 million in cash and a share of the proceeds of Gawker’s sale. ![]()
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