Heather Cole, the woman in Hulk Hogan's sex tape released by Gawker on 2012, testified that, in her opinion, Hulk Hogan likes publicity. Many speculate that the release of the controversial 41-second video is just a publicity stunt.
The Associated Press wrote that Cole, the wife of Hogan's best friend and radio personality, Bubba The Love Sponge Clem, testified her ignorance of the filming. She expressed her frustration and told in a prerecorded deposition that she was upset after finding out about the sex tape.
Cole also admitted in the deposition that she and Terry Bolea, Hulk Hogan's name behind cameras, had intimate encounters for three instances. She also testified that Clem showed her the video weeks after one of the encounters and she became immediately upset with it.
The FBI had previously confirmed the existence of three sex tapes on 2015. In an article published by Poynter, the FBI included a statement, from a records division employee, in filing the tapes. The statement revealed that all three videos feature a "third party" who can be heard speaking in the camera.
The $100 million lawsuit filed by former WWE star Hulk Hogan against Gawker Media became a battle between Free Speech, which is protected by the First Ammendment, and the right to privacy. Hogan claimed that the release of the tapes made him feel "naked and exposed." While, the defendant, Gawker Media, reasoned that Hulk Hogan has been known to be open about his sex life, hence, there's nothing wrong with the act of publishing such video and that the tape was also news worthy.
According to an article by Huffingtonpost, Hogan further dismissed the reasoning of Gawker, defending that the one open about his sex life is "Hulk Hogan," the character, and not Terry Bolea, the actual person playing the character.
According to Niehoff, "Hogan's case could create a dangerous precedent within privacy law." Niehoff stresses that the $100 million lawsuit translates into discontent and fear among all media who reports on public figures and their lifestyles.
Hulk Hogan's case against the New York Media Company was previously dismissed by a federal court after ruling that Gawker is protected by the First Amendment. The First Amendment states that, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances."
Hogan's case is now being tried in a local court in Florida, where the jury is selected from a local pool in St. Petersburg, Hogan's Hometown.
