Gawker Or Hulk Hogan: Who Should Win This Legal Fight?

Earlier this week, Hulk Hogan’s attorneys filed a petition asking a judge to force Gawker to take down a highlight video of his sex tape, but the request was turned down almost immediately, allowing the website and its litigators time to craft out a more formal response to the Hulkster’s lawsuit. This morning, that formal response finally came, and it seems Gawker has no interest in backing down.

According to E! News, Gawker is arguing the Hogan sex tape was a much publicized news story by the time the outlet reported on and ran footage of the former WWE champion’s encounter with Heather Clem. It fails to see how “nine seconds of sexual activity” could lead someone to seek $100 million, as well as a forced reveal of the source who turned over the footage to Gawker.

Everyone involved is due back in court in less than a week. Based on what the judge has to say, we should know whether this will be a quick settlement/ victory for the Hulkster or a prolonged fight Gawker could potentially win. On the one hand, it’s understandable Hulk would want to get a sex tape he never consented to off the Internet. On the other hand, it’s understandable that a website would want to include real footage of a widely discussed story.

There's no way in hell Hulk will get $100 million, but he could potentially get some money. Then again, he could also get nothing since Gawker put together a highlight video that looked like a news clip and didn't just put the sex tape online. What do you think? Who should win this legal fight? Let us know your thoughts by voting in the poll below…

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Mack Rawden is the Editor-In-Chief of CinemaBlend. He first started working at the publication as a writer back in 2007 and has held various jobs at the site in the time since including Managing Editor, Pop Culture Editor and Staff Writer. He now splits his time between working on CinemaBlend’s user experience, helping to plan the site’s editorial direction and writing passionate articles about niche entertainment topics he’s into. He graduated from Indiana University with a degree in English (go Hoosiers!) and has been interviewed and quoted in a variety of publications including Digiday. Enthusiastic about Clue, case-of-the-week mysteries, a great wrestling promo and cookies at Disney World. Less enthusiastic about the pricing structure of cable, loud noises and Tuesdays.