ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Jurors will consider punitive damages against Gawker Media after already awarding former professional wrestler Hulk Hogan $115 million in a lawsuit over a sex tape.
Jurors will return to court Monday in a case that’s being closely watched by media lawyers and privacy advocates. Punitive damages could be two or three times the compensatory damages and could bring the total to nearly half a billion dollars.
Hogan sued Gawker after it posted a video of him having sex with his then-best friend’s wife. Hogan said he didn’t know he was being taped. Whatever the jury decides on punitive damages, it’s clear the case isn’t over. Gawker already has said it will appeal.
Still, Hogan was happy. While he wouldn’t speak to reporters when he left court Friday, he took to Twitter to express his feelings.
In one tweet, he told his 1.4 million followers, “Told ya I was gonna slam another giant.”
