Hulk Hogan has been awarded a further $25 million in punitive damages after his sex tape was published by Gawker.
The wrestling star was handed the sizeable amount only days after a jury decided that Hogan should receive $115 million in a civil case against the website after they posted a video of him having sex with his former friend Bubba ‘The Love Sponge’ Clem’s now ex-wife Heather Clem online in 2012.
During the case, the wrestling legend – real name Terry Bollea – and his legal team argued it was a breach of privacy and not newsworthy whilst the media outlet insisted that freedom of the press was more important.
Meanwhile, Heather Dietrick, Gawker’s president and general counsel has confirmed the company will appeal the decision.
In a statement, she said: "Soon after Hulk Hogan brought his original lawsuits in 2012, three state appeals court judges and a federal judge repeatedly ruled that Gawker’s post was newsworthy under the First Amendment. We expect that to happen again – particularly because the jury was prohibited from knowing about these 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 …
"There is so much this jury deserved to know and, fortunately, that the appeals court does indeed know. So we are confident we will win this case ultimately based on not only on the law but also on the truth."
Hulk Hogan wins further $25m punitive damages
