General News Hulk Hogan wins $115 million in damages from Gawker

That guys insane.

 

I feel like we wouldn't be cracking jokes at this had it been a woman. Just throwing this out there.

 

Holy shit, he actually won! I tend to fall on Gawker's side in most matters, but this time I'm glad they got the full brunt of that lawsuit. They screwed up and they deserved to pay for it. It was just so hypocritical of them to defend what they did to Hogan's public image while at the same time condemning the leaks of female celebrities' nudes. No double standards. Outing someone's sex life in such explicit detail when it has no journalistic merit is unacceptable no matter the gender of the recipient. And don't even get me started on that disgusting piece they ran about Condé Nast's CFO.

They needed this wake-up call, although knowing the attitude of some of the editors there, I wouldn't be surprised if they just doubled down on the issue.

---------- Post added 18th Mar 2016 at 11:35 PM ----------

And I feel you are reaching for a conflict that isn't there. Hulk Hogan is and has always been a walking meme, that has nothing to do with what he is carrying between his legs. Chill out. He fostered and made a fortune out of his "Hulkamania" brand and persona, that's just what people will always remember him for and he endorsed it.

 

HEH, you would be surprised. Gawker Media is fucking huge, they are just good at keeping their success down-low.

 

He's not gonna get anything. Even if he doesn't croak within the next few years, there's gonna be an appeal; this time it'll be out of the of impression people who worship the talentless fake pro fighter, stripping away his homefield advantage, and it's not like he would be getting the cash anytime soon.

Ugh, it pisses me off that, Gawker, a site that publishes such fascinating material, and is overflowing with talented writers, is all threatened by some worthless fake fighter who's trying to maintain his grotesque tan that can only be gotten from being in the spotlight too long.

 

Oh shit. Actually, you are wrong and now I'm scared. I have just been informed by lena dunhams boobs (actual username) that the way Florida law works in cases like these, even if Gawker intends to appeal the amount, they must relinquish the funds immediately, which will then be held until the appeal it's settled. That law does have a cap of $50 million, but still, Gawker needs to somehow come up with that amount before they can even start the appealing process.

I repeat: OH SHIT. Um, I know they asked for this and I'm not going to pick favorites on this matter just because I [generally] dig their content, but I was not expecting this to potentially sink them and all their branches for good. That's... Not at all the kind of punishment I had in mind. I do not like this outcome. Jesus, this isn't even the most egregious of the mistakes they have made, to think this of all things could end up stomping them out...

I really hope they figure out a way to stay afloat. My life will be far less amusing without them around, and I don't want to have to fish out their writers on other sites.

 

I still would because Equality Dammit

 

Exactly. If this were Sarah Palin instead of Hulk Hogan, she would be in the right (for once!), but that wouldn't make her any less awful of a person, nor would I suddenly start respecting her or her ideas. She would still be the joke that she is today, lawsuit or not.

 

As a foreigner I don't know the publisher or the plaintiff so I guess I'm not biased by their personal qualities.

1) The guy deserves compensation for this violation. Leaking material like that is unacceptable when there is no public interest involved. I don't know what would be the appropriate compensation for this guy for this violation. Is there any material damage he has suffered or is it all about just feeling embarrassed? Nearly $100m sounds a bit too high for emotional damage.

2) The publisher needs to be punished. And the punishment should be big enough to deter them or anyone else from doing such thing again. However, I think the punishment should not be so big as to drive them to bankruptcy (unless of course this guy has factually suffered material damages up $100m).

In Europe courts usually award relatively small damages to the plaintiff while punish the defendants with hefty fines. The fines don't go to the plaintiff but to the state coffers.

 

While Gawker has posted some good things, it's also made mistakes like these. They deserved to be sued for leaking this sex tape, because it was a clear violation of privacy. I think that this is a lesson that all media groups can learn from.

 

No person should be violated like this. However, I think it's absolutely despicable that this much was awarded.
I don't care that he might not see a penny of it - it's the principle of the matter. $115,000,000 for two adults who consented to have sex and taped it? Seriously?
I think this whole "emotional distress" thing in law is becoming a very slippery slope.

 

I did think the same initially: is the payout too high? Would an ordinary person (non-celebrity) be treated in the same manner?

But then I guess profile is everything here.

A. The fact he is such a celebrity mean the video/news spreads virally across the globe (reaching a mass audience that would be unlikely to happen in most sex tape cases)
B. Gawker being an established entity (rather than some random hacker) would have probably made a killing from advertising revenue of the back of this; why should they keep a penny of this?
C. Gawker should have known better and so it is right that they (as a wealthy entity) are punished severely for this

Overall I think the decision is good. I loathe press using "public interest" to justify publishing really nasty pieces, and I think they now have way too much power and do a lot of damage. For example, no I don't believe sex tapes, affairs, nude photos etc are "public interest" - they are private matters until they genuinely affect the public.

 

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