It's been quite the four days for Hulk Hogan. Last Friday, he was awarded $115 million in compensatory damages after a two-week trial. Then, yesterday, he was awarded an additional £25million in punitive damages.
According to Us Weekly, a jury decided that Gawker Media will pay $15 million, CEO Nick Denton will pay $10 million, while former editor A.J. Daulerio will fork over $100,000.
In a statement to the magazine, Hulk 'Terry Bollea' Hogan's lawyer said: "We are extremely happy with the verdict, and Mr. Bollea feels vindicated. Our victory will also deter others from victimizing innocent people. This verdict now requires those organization to respect privacy and if not, pay the price for failing to do so."
Hogan's legal team argued that the former wrestler was not aware he was being recorded when he had sex with Bubba (The Love Sponge) Clem's then-wife. However, one of Gawker's arguments was that Hogan must have known Clem and his wife were in an open marriage and that he had a propensity for recording his wife having sex with other men. Gawker posted the two-minute sex tape and openly defied the court order to remove it from site, citing free speech laws.
Speaking to the jury yesterday, the lawyer representing Gawker - Mike Perry - said: "$115 million is punishment enough... The amount you have rendered in your verdict is already far beyond their means … that amount is debilitating.”
Reuters reports that Gawker plans to appeal the decision.