On Thursday, less than 24 hours after a bittersweet pizza party at the Gawker Media office in New York City to commemorate the bankruptcy-induced end of the companys independence, the hits kept on coming in court. Back in Pinellas County, Florida, Hulk Hogan (real name Terry Bollea) got control of the assets of former Gawker editor-in-chief A.J. Daulerio. Daulerio was the Gawker staffer most instrumental in the posting of the Hogan sex tape,which led to Hogan getting a favorable jury verdict in an invasion of privacy trial in March.
Daulerios co-defendants, Gawker Media and Nick Denton, have both filed for bankruptcy. As a result, the $115 million in compensatory damages awarded by the jury are all Daulerios responsibility. Daulerio also owes $100,000 in punitive damages. In an affidavit filed Wednesday, Daulerio explained that his assets boil down to 0.0059% of Gawkers Cayman Islands-based sister company, 44.7% of RGFree, the parent company of Ratter, which is no longer operational and was never profitable, $1,505.78 in a checking a account, and a small amount of personal affects.
On Monday, the checking account was frozen due to a court order. with a hold for $230.2 million, twice the amount of the judgment (not clear why its doubled) being placed on by Chase. Then, on Thursday, Daulerio took to the Ratter Twitter account to protest:
https://twitter.com/ratterofficial/status/763781491776114689
That hashtag is aimed at billionaire Peter Thiel, whos admitted to funding Hogans legal bills to punish Gawker, by the way.
As the Tampa Bay Times Claire McNeill, who was at the hearing, explained on Twitter, the control of Daulerios assets include the rights from his Gawker employment contract that make the company pay for any legal judgments against him:
https://twitter.com/clairemcneill/status/763844465005965312