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The New York-based online outlet, which had planned to
appeal, filed motions on Monday seeking a new trial, or to
reverse or reduce the jury's decision.
The case involving a longtime star of World Wrestling
Entertainment has been widely followed for testing boundaries
between a celebrity's privacy rights and press liberties under
the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution in the digital age.
Last month, a six-person jury awarded Hogan $60 million for
emotional distress and $55 million for economic damages. The
jury then slapped another $25 million in punitive damages on the
company and its publisher and CEO, Nick Denton.
"Gawker is now beginning the process of challenging the jury's
verdict in a trial where key evidence was wrongly withheld and
the jury was not properly instructed on the constitutional
standards for newsworthiness," Gawker said in a statement.
Hogan sued the website for posting a one-minute, 41-second
edited video clip in 2012 featuring him having sex with the wife
of his then best friend, the radio shock jock Bubba the Love
Sponge Clem.
The 62-year-old wrestling icon, whose legal name is Terry Bollea,
testified that he did not know that their consensual tryst was
being recorded when it occurred nearly a decade ago inside
Clem's home.
The jury found overwhelmingly in his favor after a two-week
trial in St. Petersburg, near Hogan's home.
"We emerged victorious once and we plan to do so again," Hogan's
attorney, David Houston, said in a statement. "It is apparent
Gawker is unable to accept responsibility for their actions or
demonstrate any intention of correcting their behavior."
(Reporting by Letitia Stein; Editing by James Dalgleish)
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