Fans were shocked a few years ago when a sex tape involving WWE legend Hulk Hogan was leaked by Gawker. Now, almost a decade after the tape was filmed, Hogan is finally getting his day in court.
According to CNN, the tape showed Hogan having sex with Heather Clem, who was married to the wrestler’s friend radio host Bubba “the Love Sponge” Clem at the time. The sexual encounter was captured on surveillance cameras in the Clem home, and the radio host has admitted that Hogan did not know he was being filmed.
“After further investigation, I am now convinced that Hulk Hogan was unaware of the presence of the recording device in my bedroom,” he said in a statement.
On Monday, Hogan’s $100 million civil trial against Gawker is set to begin at the Pinellas County Judicial Building in St. Petersburg, Florida. The wrestler will testify later today, and his lawyer David Houston expects his case to be wrapped up by Thursday.
“Then we’ll turn it over to Gawker and see how much lipstick they can put on a pig,” Houston said.
Houston went on to say that he is disgusted with the argument Gawker is “pumping to the public,” which is that the publication of the sex tape is covered by the First Amendment.
“Clearly, this has never been a First Amendment case,” he said.
Gawker, however, disagrees.
“We are defending the First Amendment against Hulk Hogan’s effort to create a world where celebrities can promote themselves around any topic, in this case sex, and then veto how the media covers their lives,” the company said in a statement on Thursday.
What do you think about this? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section.