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ST. PETERSBURG, FLORIDA — A jury awarded wrestling superstar Hulk Hogan $140 million in damages in his invasion-of-privacy suit against gossip site Gawker.
In 2012, the company posted a 101-second highlight reel of a 30-minute DVD of Hogan having sex with his friend’s wife to its website under the headline, “Even for a Minute, Watching Hulk Hogan Have Sex in a Canopy Bed is Not Safe For Work but Watch it Anyway.”
Six jurors — comprised of four women and two men — took six hours to decide that, by Gawker’s publication of the footage, Hogan’s privacy had been violated and had caused him emotional distress.
A tweet from the official Twitter account of Hogan, whose real name is Terry Bollea, posted the day after the jury’s decision said, “Told you I was gonna slam another giant HH.”
Gawker founder Nick Denton said the website would appeal the decision. A lawyer for Gawker earlier said a loss in the case could put the website out of business, Reuters reported.
