Gawker founder Nick Denton penned a lengthy rebuttal to the recent verdict in which Hulk Hogan was awarded $140 million in damages for a story on Gawker.com.
Hogan was awarded $25 million in punitive damages from Gawker Monday, in addition to the $115 million he was awarded last week after Florida jurors that his privacy was invaded when Gawker published a portion of a sex tape featuring himself and the then-wife of his friend, Todd “Bubba the Love Sponge” Clem.
“The Enormous size of the verdict is chilling to Gawker Media,” Denton wrote. “We will have our day back in appeals court, and we will be vindicated,” he vowed.
Denton went on to say, “constitutional issues aside, we now know that the trial was a sham from the start.
“We want to be free to express ourselves, but are less enthusiastic when that freedom is exercised by others with whom we disagree … nobody likes a critic.”
The Gawker boss thinks the benefits of publicity come at a price, and for someone, it’s a full-time and long-term commitment.
“But these always-on celebrities should not be surprised when their credibility is questioned, and journalists attempt to sort out what is real and what is fake,” Denton said. “That’s our job, and we intend to pursue it both in the courts and on the page.”
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