The former editor-in-chief’s aside about a sex tape involving a four-year-old child was the defining-and damning-moment of the Hulk Hogan vs Gawker trial.
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However, when the star found himself unexpectedly alone with Denton, who he called “the puppet master”, in the courthouse bathrooms, he feared there would be a confrontation that could end in a dispute of his word against Denton’s. No one else was present, only the two men on either side of the lawsuit.
“But I did it anyway”, Hogan told ABC News. In particular, he confessed he was afraid of Denton: “He scared the hell out of me, ” said Hogan.
“I thought it was [enough]”, Hogan told ET Online, “but now I’m starting to think that if Gawker is going to continue with this type of behavior, the verdict wasn’t strong enough, because they’re continuing on”.
Attorneys for the company also note that the jury was deprived of a huge number of recently unsealed documents, as well as crucial testimony from Bubba “the Love Sponge” Clem, the radio host who recorded his then-wife, Heather Cole, having sex with Hogan.
A Hulk Hogan juror said Monday that watching the wrestler’s sex video “changed the game” for her and the other five panelists and led her to agree to award him more than $100 million in damages. “It’s not about the First Amendment, it’s about privacy”.
But the truth remains for Hogan that he “will be naked forever on the Internet”.
At the time deposition was taken, the federal and state appeals had already ruled that Gawker’s posting of the Hogan video had met the legal standard of newsworthiness. “I can make a million excuses. It’s just a piece of paper”, he said. “They’ll appeal it and do whatever they have to do for years and years and years”.
“If anything”, Daulerio said, “this whole trial has made me more loyal and faithful to Nick and to that company”. “Probably the stupidest thing I’ve ever said”, he explained, saying the statements stemmed from issues with his daughter Brooke’s boyfriend.
Hollywood Hogan recalled breaking down in tears after hearing Friday’s verdict, claiming Houston had later informed him of the windfall payout because he “didn’t even hear the number”. For better or worse, I don’t have most of that going for me-at least in public. “And as I tried to not snort again, water just came pouring out of my eyes”.
Hogan also told a story about a time he and Denton were in the restroom together during the trial, and the famous wrestler was terrified that the website owner would “pretend to be hurt”. Bubba filmed the tape without Hogan;s knowledge.
“They gave me the gas I needed in my tank to move forward”, he said.
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Gawker intends to appeal the decision.
