Hulk Hogan awarded $25M in punitive damages for sex tape leak

Wrestling legend Hulk Hogan has been awarded a further $25m (£17.3m) in punitive damages just days after Gawker Media was ordered to pay $115m (£79.5m) for posting a sex tape of the celebrity wrestler online. A Florida jury ordered Gawker to pay WWE Hall of Famer Hogan an additional $15m (£10.4m) in punitive damages, while Gawker publisher Nick Denton was slapped with $10m (£6.9m) in damages. Hogan was awarded $115m (£79.5m) last week after a Florida jury found Gawker violated his privacy by publishing a video of him having sex with his former best friend’s wife in 2012. Gawker has indicated that it will appeal against the initial verdict.

If they can make a claim like this, the internet as we know it will cease to exist.

Michael Sullivan, a lawyer for Gawker

Hogan’s lawyers noted that he was unaware the encounter was being filmed when it took place over a decade ago and that the footage was not newsworthy. They said Gawker did not warn Hogan, Heather Cole – the woman in the video – or her now former husband, DJ Bubba The Love Sponge Clem, who recorded the footage, that it was being published. Hogan, whose real name is Terry Bollea, testified that he still suffered from the humiliation of the video going viral. Gawker obtained the tape and created an edited version that contained nine seconds of explicit sexual activity.

Hogan damages