Hulk Hogan Suing ‘Gawker’ Again Over Leaked Audio


Hulk Hogan, who recently won a lawsuit against tabloid gossip news site Gawker, is now suing the media company again for allegedly leaking the audio that contained a racist rant that has severely affected his personal life.

Although Hulk Hogan is certainly entitled to his opinion, the former WWE wrestling star and champion has been a constant in the media for one reason or another in regards to his private life. Hogan, whose real name is Terry Bollea, is now back in the news for another lawsuit wherein he alleges the celebrity gossip site Gawker leaked damaging audio to the press that has hurt him financially and emotionally.

The start of this entire circus began when a videotape that was obtained by Gawker showed Hulk Hogan having sex with a woman that was reportedly the wife of his best friend. That woman was Heather Clem, and his (ex) best friend was Florida radio DJ, Bubba “The Love Sponge” Clem, according to CBS News.

Hogan had originally claimed that he did not know that Bubba was taping the incident and that he also did not know that it had been released, or sold, to the media.

Ultimately, Hulk Hogan ended up winning his lawsuit to Gawker, and the jury awarded him quite a substantial sum of money. That award included $115 million in compensatory damages and another $25 million in punitive (punishment) damages. That led to a total of $140 million that was awarded to Hulk Hogan over the incident, which Gawker is still fighting, claiming that the jury did not get to hear from key witnesses or see key evidence.

So now, Gawker is under fire again from Hulk Hogan. This new lawsuit comes after Hogan has also been in the news lately when transcripts were released by the National Enquirer of a racist rant that he went on, specifically about his daughter’s ex-boyfriend.

These transcripts included details of the racist remarks that Hogan had made and were sealed by the court from release. But they somehow made their way over to the National Enquirer and have since been published. This also led to the WWE severing all ties with Hogan.

Hulk Hogan has been a household name in America for over 30 years now. His legendary matches with Andre the Giant while in the WWF (now named the WWE) made him a worldwide phenomenon in the wrestling sports world, and his stardom soared from there. That was when Hulkamania started, and it is still a household phrase.

Gawker is not the only company on the line for damages in regards to the leaked transcripts of the racist remarks Hulk Hogan allegedly made in the videotape. The suit, which was filed in Pinellas County Court, also cites a radio company, a lawyer, two disc jockeys, and a talent agent for the leaked transcript.

Elizabeth Traub, who is a personal representative for Hulk Hogan, made a statement to the press in regard to this current lawsuit. She seems to portray the lawsuit as a full on assault of the people who might have been responsible for leaking the transcripts.

“Mr. Bollea (Hulk Hogan) said from the beginning that he would seek to hold all persons and entities fully responsible for their wrongful actions,” Traub wrote in the statement. “This lawsuit seeks to do just that.”

Gawker has also released a scathing statement on this matter accusing Hulk Hogan of using the legal system as a personal way to make gains.

“This is getting ridiculous. Hulk Hogan is a litigious celebrity abusing the court system to control his public image and media coverage,” Gawker wrote in the statement. “It’s time for Hulk Hogan to take responsibility for his own words, because the only person who got Hulk Hogan fired from the WWE is Hulk Hogan.”

There has been no word yet how much Hulk Hogan is seeking in damages over the leaked transcripts.

[Photo by John Pendygraft-Pool/Getty Images]

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