Today a jury has awarded Terry 'Hulk Hogan' Bollea 115 million United States dollars, fifteen million more than the Hulkmeister initially sought in a case against Gawker Media for publishing a "revenge porn" video of the beloved entertainer (archived). At trial Gawker Media's legal team heaped further humiliation on the nexus of Hulkamania by compelling him to break kayfabe by answering under oath that many of his tales of sexual accomplishment and prowess were exaggerated, as such tales frequently are, and that his penis is not a full 10 inches in length.

For Gawker Media the stakes in this contest were dire, placing the future of Gawker Media and its ownership in jeopardy. Nick Denton's social engineering blog empire, with many authors who had ironically criticised the practice of publishing the sort of "revenge porn" now endangering the venture's future when other people did it, is likely to challenge the verdict in appellate courts. Unless the facts of the case manage to materially change, this verdict is likely to stand along with the nine figure award. The Hulkster's long reign as the face of an industry and the declining fortunes of fiat currency make the sum a very reasonable approximation of the potential economic damages wrought by Gawker Media against the Suburban Commando and Thunder in Paradise star's future earning potential.

This irony is delicious. (archived). Sorry for your loss.

UPDATE: Of  the 115 million United States dollars 55 million is for economic damages, 60 million is for emotional distress, and the jury will reconvene next week to determine punitive damages.