Hulk Hogan Files New Lawsuit Against Gawker over Leaked Transcript

Fresh off winning a $140 million judgment against Gawker in a civil trial regarding his leaked sex tape, Hulk Hogan has filed a subsequent suit against the website claiming it leaked sealed documents to the press.

Eriq Gardner of the Hollywood Reporter obtained a copy of the new lawsuit, which points the finger at Gawker (specifically then-editor A.J. Daulerio and founder Nick Denton) for leaking racially insensitive remarks Hogan said in the sex tape. The suit claims Gawker used the National Enquirer and Radar Online as conduits to leak the remarks without violating a court order:   

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Gawker found just the solution. Dylan Howard, a senior editor at The National Enquirer and its sister publication RadarOnline.com, who was a personal friend of Daulerio at the time, gave notice to Plaintiff’s counsel on July 23, 2015 that the Enquirer intended to publish excerpts from the very court-protected, confidential, 'sealed' transcript that Gawker had been threatening to release publicly for months.

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On the tape, Hogan is shown having sex with the wife of his former friend, radio DJ Bubba the Love Sponge. According to a leaked transcript, Hogan then went on a racially charged rant about a man his daughter, Brooke, was dating at the time, per Julia Marsh of the New York Post: “I mean, I’d rather if she was going to f--k some n----r, I’d rather have her marry an 8-foot-tall n----r worth a hundred million dollars! Like a basketball player! I guess we’re all a little racist. F---ing n----r."

WWE immediately fired Hogan from his legends contract after the transcript leaked. He has also been removed from WWE.com's record books, including its Hall of Fame section. Perhaps the most famous WWE Superstar in history, Hogan was inducted to the WWE Hall of Fame in 2005 and was working as a Tough Enough judge at the time of his departure.

The lawsuit claims Hogan's “income was cut off, his legacy in entertainment was severely damaged (if not completely destroyed), and his global brand was forever tarnished," per Marsh. Gawker "participated in, facilitated and/or contributed to the use and public dissemination of the content of court-protected confidential transcript to the Enquirer," according to Hogan's filing.

The website is currently appealing the $140 million verdict in Hogan's initial victory. Denton wrote "emotion was permitted to trump the law, and key evidence and witnesses were kept from the jury," in a piece for Gawker following the verdict. He expects the sum to be greatly reduced, if not wiped out altogether.

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