Hogan sued Gawker after it posted a 2007 video of him having sex with Heather Clem, wife of his then-best friend Bubba “The Love Sponge” Clem, a DJ in Florida who made the video.
Advertisement
A Florida judge on Wednesday denied Gawker Media’s motion for a new trial in the Hulk Hogan sex-tape case, as reports surfaced that a Silicon Valley billionaire has helped finance the professional wrestler’s lawsuit.
At the time, I called him “the man who has become Silicon Valley’s most interesting venture capitalist and all-around great character of late”.
A billionaire tech mogul rumored to be behind Hulk Hogan’s high-profile lawsuit against Gawker has admitted he bankrolled the case, telling The New York Times Wednesday that he wanted to put the gossip website out of business.
But even if Thiel did influence Hogan’s legal strategy, that would probably not be grounds to overturn the verdict against Gawker, according to Anthony Sebok, a professor at Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law and the author of a definitive 2011 law review article on legal doctrines discouraging litigation funding. It was reported in October 2009 that he gave a “substantial check” to the Committee to Protect Journalists, a New York-based advocacy organization that defends the press worldwide. In a statement, CPJ executive director Joel Simon said that while the group supports a person’s right to “seek civil redress in cases of defamation”, CPJ doesn’t “support efforts to abuse the process by seeking to punish or bankrupt particular media outlets”. He insisted that the action was “less about revenge and more about specific deterrence”.
Forbes previously reported Mr Thiel’s assistance to Hogan. This campaign season, he has emerged as a California delegate for Donald Trump.
“We don’t know whether Mr. Thiel is just paying for the defense”.
In response, Nick Denton, the founder of Gawker, commented that the publication is known for “routinely driving big news stories” that have undeniable value, including cases such as the role of Tom Cruise with scientology and Bill Cosby’s links with women.
Billionaire entrepreneur Peter Thiel has used his fortune to support press freedom – and possibly suppress it.
In March, a Florida jury awarded Hogan US$25 million in punitive damages for invasion of privacy, coming on top of US$115 million for economic harm and emotional distress.
On Wednesday, Hogan and Gawker were back in a Florida court, where Judge Pamela Campbell denied Gawker’s request for a new trial and refused to reduce the damages.
In a statement Wednesday, Gawker acknowledged but did not confirm reports of Thiel’s involvement, and said it hoped the appeals court would decide in its favour.
Gawker edited the 30-minute tape down to one minute and posted it with a story that gave a mocking blow-by-blow account of the other 29 minutes.
iMediaEthics has written to Harder, and Thiel’s rep for comment. In one, he is representing Mr Shiva Ayyadurai, whose claims to have invented e-mail were challenged by Gawker and other media.
Advertisement
Facebook was recently embroiled in controversy over allegations it suppresses conservative viewpoints in a service that shows what news stories are popular among users.
