| Bollea v. Gawker | |
|---|---|
| Court | Circuit Court of the Sixth Judicial Circuit in and for Pinellas County, Florida[1] |
| Full case name | Terry Gene Bollea, professionally known as Hulk Hogan, Plaintiff, v. Heather Clem; Gawker Media, LLC aka Gawker Media; Gawker Media Group, Inc. aka Gawker Media; Gawker Entertainment, LLC; Gawker Technology, LLC; Gawker Sales, LLC; Nick Denton; A.J. Daulerio; Kate Bennert, and Blogwire Hungary Szellemi Alkotast Hasznosito KFT aka Gawker Media, Defendants[1][2] |
| Citations | Gawker Media, LLC v. Bollea, 129 So.3d 1196 (Fla. 2d DCA 2014); 170 So.3d 125 (Fla. 2d DCA 2015) |
| Case history | |
| Prior actions | Injunction denied, Bollea v. Gawker Media, LLC, 913 F. Supp. 2d 1325 (M.D. Fla. 2012), motion to remand granted, Bollea v. Clem, 937 F. Supp. 2d 1344 (M.D. Fla. 2013) |
| Court membership | |
| Judge sitting | Pamela A. M. Campbell[3] |
Bollea v. Gawker was a lawsuit filed in 2013 in the Circuit Court of the Sixth Judicial Circuit in Pinellas County, Florida, delivering a verdict on March 18, 2016. In the suit, professional wrestler Terry Gene Bollea, known professionally as Hulk Hogan, sued Gawker Media, publisher of the Gawker website, and several Gawker employees and Gawker-affiliated entities[2] for posting portions of a sex tape of Bollea with Heather Clem, at that time the wife of radio personality Bubba the Love Sponge. Bollea's claims included invasion of privacy, infringement of personality rights, and intentional infliction of emotional distress. Prior to trial, Bollea's lawyers said the privacy of many Americans was at stake while Gawker's lawyers said that the case could hurt freedom of the press in the United States.[4][5]
Bollea sought $100 million in damages.[6] In March 2016, the jury found Gawker Media liable and awarded Bollea $115 million in compensatory damages and $25 million in punitive damages.[7][8] Three months after the verdict, Gawker filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and put itself up for sale.[9] Gawker Media's assets, not including the namesake website, were subsequently sold to Univision Communications.[10] On November 2, 2016, Gawker reached a $31 million settlement with Bollea.[11]
- ^ a b Bollea v. Clem, et al., First Amended Complaint and Demand for Jury Trial (filed December 28, 2012).
- ^ a b Annie Youderian, Hulk Hogan Sues Gawker for $100M Over Sex Tape, Courthouse News Service (October 17, 2012).
- ^ Anna M. Phillips, Trial judge in Hulk Hogan-Gawker case is most reversed in Pinellas, Tampa Bay Times (March 25, 2016).
- ^ Madigan, Nick (March 4, 2016). "Hulk Hogan's Suit Over Sex Tape May Test Limits of Online Press Freedom". The New York Times. Retrieved March 10, 2016.
- ^ "Hogan v. Gawker – Global Freedom of Expression". Columbia Global Freedom of Expression. Retrieved June 2, 2016.
- ^ Mahler, Jonathan (June 12, 2015). "Gawker's Moment of Truth". The New York Times. Retrieved March 10, 2016.
- ^ Mullin, Joe (March 18, 2016). "$115 million verdict in Hulk Hogan sex-tape lawsuit could wipe out Gawker". Ars Technica. WIRED Media. Retrieved March 18, 2016.
- ^ Madigan, Nick (March 21, 2016). "Jury Tacks On $25 Million to Gawker's Bill in Hulk Hogan Case". The New York Times.
- ^ Farhi, Paul (June 10, 2016). "Gawker files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 10, 2016.
- ^ "News site Gawker.com to shut down next week". BBC News. August 18, 2016. Retrieved August 18, 2016.
- ^ "Gawker and Hulk Hogan Reach $31 Million Settlement". The New York Times. November 2, 2016. Retrieved November 2, 2016.