Regardless of how it surfaced, Hogan’s lawyers argued to the six-person jury that Gawker’s publication of the video was a crass tool to pull in ad dollars and clicks. Rather than posting the video in its entirety, Gawker cut a "highlight reel" featuring about 101 seconds of footage, of which about 9 seconds contain actual sex acts. Gawker then received the full 30-minute video, burned onto a DVD and mailed to its office in Manhattan. Hogan has claimed that the video was taken without his knowledge or consent, a fact that Bubba Clem disputed to Howard Stern.Ĭlem says the video was stolen from his office - though no one has accounted for how the video was then distributed. The grainy surveillance footage in question was taken in 2006 of Hogan and Heather Clem having sex in Clem’s home she shared with her then-husband, radio personality Bubba the Love Sponge Clem (born Todd Alan Clem, though he legally changed his name). Hogan argues that the video’s publication was a unique and humiliating violation of privacy Legal experts tend to agree that no matter how the case is decided, it will help clarify the largely undefined line between privacy and freedom of expression on the internet. Gawker, on the other hand, claims it had a right to post the video, which was a matter of "public concern."īoth sides have declared the trial's outcome could have outsize consequences: Hogan is claiming a loss would mean weakened privacy for all Americans Gawker says that if Hogan prevails, the nation’s press freedoms are at risk. The iconic wrestler (whose real name is Terry Bollea) sued the site claiming privacy violations and emotional damage after the video was posted in 2012. The details are about as salacious as they come: pornographic footage of Hulk Hogan having sex with a friend’s wife, taken without his knowledge and later posted on Gawker based on an anonymous tip. An adverse verdict is what Gawker was expecting, and the company plans to appeal, but even if Gawker prevails the need to post a bond equivalent to the full total of damages ordered will be a major financial burden. A Florida jury granted famous wrestler Hulk Hogan $115 million in compensatory damages to be paid by Gawker, the news site that Hogan has accused of violating his privacy by publishing a video of him engaged in a sex act.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |