After being rewarded $115M in the Gawker lawsuit, Hulk Hogan is suing the media site again for ending his career, reports The New York Post.
Hogan, real name Terry Bollea, is suing Gawker for an undisclosed amount as “his income was cut off, his legacy in entertainment was severely damaged (if not completely destroyed), and his global brand was forever tarnished.”
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WWE severed ties with the sports-entertainment icon last July, cutting off any sort of royalties and income he was receiving from the company. WWE also scrubbed Hogan from the WWE Hall of Fame and website mentions of the former world champion.
Hogan says Gawker slipped the transcript, which was filed under seal in the then-pending suit between the two parties over a second sex tape with the same woman, Heather Clem. At the time, Clem was married to Hogan’s best friend, radio shock jock Bubba “the Love Sponge” Clem. Hogan also names several Florida residents in the suit, including DJ Mike “Cowhead” Calta, for sending at least one of the secretly recorded tapes to Gawker that had Hogan’s racist tirade on it.
Police previously declined to pursue charges against Calta and others involved in the leak.
Gawker Media responded in a statement Monday. “This is getting ridiculous. Hulk Hogan is a litigious celebrity abusing the court system to control his public image and media coverage.”
“As we’ve said before and are happy to say again: Gawker did not leak the information,” the statement said. “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.”
Since the leak of both the sex tape and racist remarks, Hogan has apologized and made a public statement about the situation and that he wanted to “improve as a person,” and takes the matter as an “important learning experience.”
“This is not who I am. I believe very strongly that every person in the world is important and should not be treated differently based on race, gender, orientation, religious beliefs or otherwise,” Hogan told PEOPLE, at the time. “I am disappointed with myself that I used language that is offensive and inconsistent with my own beliefs.”
Could this be the main event and final match between Hogan and Gawker? We’ll keep you updated on this development.
