Hulk Hogan Suffers Setback in Sex Tape Lawsuit
Posted by Jeremy Thomas on 11.14.2012
A judge makes a major ruling against him...
- Hulk Hogan has had his request to compel Gawker to immediately remove footage of his sex tape shot down. A federal judge in Florida ruled against Hogan's request, agreeing with Gawker's defense that the footage is newsworthy because of Hogan's celebrity status. The judge, James D. Whittemore, also said that Hogan's constant publicizing of his private life via his reality show and autobiography contributed to the decision, writing:
"Plaintiff's public persona, including the publicity he and his family derived from a television reality show detailing their personal life, his own book describing an affair he had during his marriage, prior reports by other parties of the existence and content of the Video, and Plaintiff's own public discussion of issues relating to his marriage, sex life, and the Video all demonstrate that the Video is a subject of general interest and concern to the community."
The footage depicts Hogan having sex with Bubba the Love Sponge's then-wife Heather Clem. No ruling has yet been made regarding the $100 million lawsuit itself; this was simple regarding Hogan's request for a preliminary injunction against the video.
