HULK HOGAN HAS been awarded a further $25 million (€22.2 million) in punitive damages on top of the $115 million already awarded to him in his sex tape lawsuit against Gawker Media.
Jurors began deliberating about punitive damages after hearing brief statements from lawyers from Gawker and Hogan this afternoon.
On Friday, the jury awarded Hogan $115 million for economic harm and emotional distress.
During closing arguments today, Hogan’s lawyer Kenneth Turkel said Gawker Media’s gross revenues in 2015 were $48.7 million and that founder Nick Denton has a total of $121 million, including a $3.6 million Manhattan condo.
Gawker Media is worth $83 million, the lawyers said.
A.J. Daulerio, the then-Gawker editor who wrote the post that accompanied the article and the person who decided to post the edited video, has no assets, the lawyers said. They said Daulerio has $27,000 in student loan debt.
Turkel said the jury could decide on a punitive amount as both punishment to Gawker and a deterrent to other media companies.
Jurors have “an ability to send a message,” Turkel said, adding that Gawker acted with reckless disregard when it posted an edited version of the sex video.
Michael Sullivan, representing Gawker, said the New York Media company has “heard your judgment and we take it very seriously.”
The $115 million judgment “is punishment enough” and “is already far beyond their means”, the company argued.
“The amount of that verdict could already be debilitating for Gawker Media,” Sullivan said.
“Your verdict will send a chill down the spine of writers, producers, and publishers,” he added.
Hogan sued Gawker after it posted a video of him having sex with his then-best friend’s wife. Hogan said he didn’t know he was being taped.
Gawker has already has said would appeal.
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