Gawker

New York's most powerful gossip blog was sued by Hulk Hogan with Peter Thiel's secret funding — $140M jury verdict forced bankruptcy, and the legal strategy was later revealed as revenge for Gawker outing Thiel as gay in 2007

Forced closure by regulatory action · Fatal mistake: Gawker Media published Hulk Hogan's sex tape (2012). Peter Thiel funded Hulk Hogan's lawsuit in secret. In March 2016, a Florida jury awarded Hogan $140M — more than Gawker's entire value. Gawker Media filed bankruptcy August 2016. Univision acquired Gawker's other media properties for $135M. Nick Denton filed personal bankruptcy. The lawsuit was later revealed to be part of Peter Thiel's revenge campaign for Gawker outing him as gay in 2007.