Hulk Hogan’s $115M Jury Victory Could Be Just The Beginning

A Florida jury last week awarded Hulk Hogan $115 million in damages from news site Gawker, which published portions of a sex tape featuring the former professional wrestler. This week deliberations begin on whether to add punitive damages in the invasion of privacy case. The jury awarded Hogan $60 million for emotional stress and $55 million for economic damages. Punitive damages could amount to $345 million under Florida law. The judge in the case has said the damages levied should not be devastating to Gawker, or founder and chief executive Nick Denton and Albert J. Daulerio, the editor in chief at the time the video was published. “The amount you have rendered in your verdict is already far beyond their means,” Michael Berry, an attorney for Gawker, told the jury. “An additional punishment is unnecessary … your verdict will send a chill down the spine of publishers, writers, producers and publishers throughout the company.”