Tampa Radio: Hulk vs. Gawker Trial Date Set

Hulk Hogan

Hulk Hogan, whose real name is Terry Bollea, made his way into a St. Petersburg courthouse on Wednesday morning flanked by his team of attorneys.

Bollea is suing the gossip website Gawker for $100 million. Bollea claims his privacy was violated when the website released a video of him having sex with the wife of radio personality Bubba the Love Sponge Clem.

The video was recorded several years ago in Clem’s home. Gawker published a portion of the tape in 2012, and Bollea has been involved in a lawsuit against Gawker since then.

“It was an extortion of my client. It was somebody trying to shake him down on a tape that he didn’t consent to, that they published with knowledge that he hadn’t consented to it all of which and in every scenario which there’s one victim constantly and that’s Terry Bollea,” said Bollea Attorney Kenneth Turkel in court on Wednesday.

According to WFLA-TV8, Gawker attorneys asked the judge to dismiss the case based on what they believe are lies that were told by Bollea.

Bollea’s reputation has taken a beating. An audio transcript from the same tape was also released which caused further damage to the wrestling superstar’s reputation.

“There was a tape involving him having sex with Heather Clem that had him making racist comments on it,” said Berlin, referring to Bubba the Love Sponge’s former wife.

Bollea has apologized for the comments, which include the use of the “N” word to describe a man dating his daughter. The World Wrestling Entertainment company (WWE) cut all ties to Bollea.

The judge ruled against a motion to dismiss the case. The trial will begin March 7th.