Judge denies motion for new Gawker-Hulk Hogan trial
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — A Florida judge today denied Gawker's motion for a new trial in the Hulk Hogan sex-video case and won't reduce a $140 million jury verdict.
Judge Pamela Campbell's ruling is the latest development in a yearslong legal fight between Hogan, whose real name is Terry Bollea, and the gossip website.
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 local Tampa DJ who made the video. During the Gawker trial, Hogan mournfully described how Clem betrayed his trust.
The three-week trial was a lurid inside look at the business of celebrity gossip and a debate over newsworthiness versus celebrity privacy.
In March, a Pinellas County jury awarded Hogan $115 million in compensatory damages plus an added $25 million in punitive damages.