A Florida jury today ordered Gawker Media to pay $115 million for publishing a sex tape showing Terry Bollea, also known as Hulk Hogan, having sex with his friend's wife. 
 
 The stunning sum, which may have punitive damages added to it, is a life-threatening event for the New York-based network of news and gossip sites. Gawker Media was one of the first successful, large, digital-only news companies. The final sum is even more than the $100 million Bollea was seeking. Bollea also sued Gawker founder Nick Denton and former editor Albert Daulerio, and the jury found those two men personally liable as well. 
 
 The sex tape was made about a decade ago, during a period in which the professional wrestler Hogan testified that he was going through a difficult phase with his then-wife. Todd Clem, a Florida radio personality who later legally changed his name to Bubba the Love Sponge, encouraged Hogan to sleep with his wife Heather. 
 
 In 2012, Bollea sued Clem, saying he didn't know Clem had filmed him. Clem has made conflicting statements about whether Bollea knew about the taping. Clem settled the lawsuit, reportedly for $5,000. That left Gawker, Denton, and Daulerio as the targets of Bollea's wrath. He sued them for $100 million in damages, and the case went to trial in St. Petersburg, Florida, on March 7. 
 
 The case raises issues about the limits of the First Amendment in the digital age. Gawker argued that it had a legitimate news reason to publish the tape, since Bollea had talked about his sex life—specifically about sleeping with Clem's wife—in numerous venues. 
 
 Bollea's reputation took a huge hit last year, and he got fired from his job at World Wrestling Entertainment. That outcome wasn't fallout from the Gawker article, however. In a section of the sex tape that could be described as "pillow talk" (which wasn't published by Gawker), Bollea went on a racist diatribe. He repeatedly used the N-word and other racial insults, expressing disappointment that his daughter was in a relationship with a black man. The racial epithets were leaked by other news sites, including Radar Online and the National Enquirer. 
 
 Other news sites posted stills from the tape, but only Gawker posted video. They showed one minute and 41 seconds of the tape, which included just nine seconds of sexual content. The company says it made about $11,000 from the post, countering assertions by Bollea attorneys that it was worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. 
 
 "What's disturbing about Gawker isn't what they do in a vacuum," Bollea lawyer Kenneth Turkel said during closing arguments. "It's how proud they are of it." Denton was "playing God over Bollea’s right to privacy," he added. 
 
 Bollea says he still feels humiliated over the tape's publication. Gawker editors said the publication of the tape, and accompanying essay, was a commentary about celebrity sex tapes. 
 
 “He’s talked about his sex life, how big his penis is, and when he talks about his penis it’s to promote his daughter’s singing career," said Gawker's attorney Michael Sullivan. "He’s discussed his sexual encounters. Now he tells you this was the Hulk Hogan character." 
 
 Gawker has a right to publish news stories, even ones with objectionable content, Sullivan told the jury. 
 
 "If they can make a claim like this, the Internet as we know it will cease to exist," Sullivan said. 
 
 As the case went to the jury, Gawker Media released a statement saying that they expect an appeals court will need to resolve the case. It reads in part: 
 
 We're disappointed the jury was unable to see key evidence and hear testimony from the most important witness... Hulk Hogan's best friend Bubba the Love Sponge—who made the tape and offered up his wife in the first place—originally told his radio listeners that Hulk Hogan knew he was being taped. The jury was only able to hear a questionable version of events. Bubba should have been required to appear in court and explain what really happened. 
 
 Gawker owns several other popular online news sites, including the gadget site Gizmodo, Lifehacker, Deadspin, Kotaku, Jezebel, and Jalopnik. The company employs about 250 people and has been majority-owned by Denton since it was founded. He recently took outside investment for the first time to be able to pay for this litigation and possible damages. ||||| The jury in Hulk Hogan's invasion of privacy suit against Gawker Media awarded the ex-wrestler $115 million on Friday. 
 
 The six person jury in St. Petersburg, Florida -- four women and two men -- deliberated for nearly six hours. 
 
 Hogan, dressed all in black including a black bandana, cried when the verdict was announced. 
 
 The ex-wrestler, whose real name is Terry Bollea, had sued Gawker, founder Nick Denton and former editor A.J. Daulerio for posting the nearly two-minute segment of a Hogan sex tape in 2012. Hogan's suit claimed Gawker violated his privacy and sought $100 million. 
 
 "Mr. Bollea is exceptionally happy. This is not only his victory today, but also anyone else who's been victimized by tabloid journalism," his lawyer David Houston said outside the courtroom. Hogan stood quietly behind the lawyer, his sunglasses failing to conceal dried tears on his cheeks. 
 
 But he tweeted "Thank you God for justice." 
 
 Thank you God for justice,only love 4Life. HH — Hulk Hogan (@HulkHogan) March 19, 2016 
 
 The jury must still consider whether to impose punitive damages next week. 
 
 "We're coming back Monday for the rest of it," Houston said. 
 
 Gawker's legal team, which had argued that posting the video was protected by the First Amendment, appeared to have anticipated a costly verdict. Lawyers for the New York news site issued a statement shortly after the jury retired to begin deliberations. The statement mentioned the jury's inability to consider a trove of recently unsealed documents related to the case. 
 
 "It may be necessary for the appeals court to resolve this case," the statement said. 
 
 Denton read from a prepared statement outside the courthouse Friday evening that said, "Given key evidence and the most important witness were both improperly withheld from this jury, we all knew the appeals court will need to resolve the case. ... That's why we feel very positive about the appeal that we have already begun preparing, as we expect to win this case ultimately." 
 
 The "most important witness" Denton referred to was radio host Bubba "The Love Sponge" Clem who made the video. The judge in the case quashed Gawker's subpoena to have Clem testify, citing his lack of trustworthiness. 
 
 The jury awarded Hogan $55 million for economic injuries and $60 million for emotional distress. Those same jurors will reconvene next week to consider punitive damages on top of the $115 million already awarded. 
 
 Related: Hulk Hogan jury to be spared watched full 30 minute sex tape 
 
 Florida law requires an appealing party to post a bond for the full amount of damages, but that requirement is capped at $50 million. Denton has been candid about the financial threat posed by the lawsuit. In January, he sold a minority stake in Gawker Media, which he founded in 2002, for the first time as an additional layer of protection. 
 
 In closing arguments earlier in the day, Hogan attorney Kenneth Turkel tried to paint the Gawker defendants as indecent gossip-mongers who make a mockery of journalism. 
 
 Turkel told the jury that Daulerio "didn't have the common decency" to reach out to any of the parties involved before he posted the video excerpts and the commentary, which "probably tells you all you need to know about Gawker." 
 
 Turkel invoked a 2013 interview in which Denton said "invasion of privacy has incredibly positive effects on society." 
 
 "Who thinks like that?" the attorney asked incredulously. 
 
 Related: Hogan's partner on tape is emotional in testimony 
 
 On two occasions, Turkel seemed to suggest that Denton and his company don't share the Florida jury's values. 
 
 "This guy is up there in New York sitting behind a computer playing god with other people's lives," Turkel said of Denton. Turkel also scoffed that Daulerio wrote in his 2012 commentary that "the Internet has made it easier for all of us to be shameless voyeurs and deviants." 
 
 "I'm not so sure all of us are shameless voyeurs and deviants," Turkel said. "They may be up there on Fifth Avenue at Gawker." 
 
 Related: Gawker founder forced to read from sex tape transcript 
 
 Gawker attorney Michael Sullivan restated the company's free speech argument that's been the bedrock of the defense's case. The First Amendment, he told jurors, protects unpopular speech. 
 
 "What the plaintiff asks you to do is easy: to feel sympathy for Mr. Bollea, to muster your dislike and disdain for Gawker," Sullivan said. "What we ask you to do is harder, very hard, but ultimately it is right." 
 
 Related: Why Hogan settled for $5,000 with the man who made the tape 
 
 Sullivan warned that Hogan's lawsuit could have a chilling effect on free press if "powerful celebrities, politicians and public figures would use our courts to punish people." 
 
 "We will all be worse off as a result," he said. 
 
 Sullivan downplayed the raunchiness of the nearly two-minute video package that was posted on Gawker, which only included nine seconds of sex. He ridiculed Hogan's lawyers for opting against showing the excerpts in court. 
 
 Sullivan also sought to raise doubts that Hogan was unaware he was being recorded inside Clem's bedroom, where Hogan had sex with Clem's then-wife. The attorney noted that Hogan could be heard on the tape asking about cameras, and that the plaintiff was surely aware that Clem was in an open marriage and had a propensity for recording his wife in the act. ||||| Hulk Hogan talks with his attorneys before the start of his trial Thursday, March 17, 2016, in St. Petersburg, Fla. Hogan, whose given name is Terry Bollea, and his attorneys are suing Gawker Media for... (Associated Press) 
 
 ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — The Latest on the trial of wrestler Hulk Hogan's lawsuit against the New York-based website Gawker (all times local): 
 
 7 p.m.: 
 
 A jury has sided with ex-pro wrestler Hulk Hogan and awarded him $115 million in his sex tape lawsuit against Gawker Media. 
 
 The jurors reached the decision Friday evening, less than six hours after they began deliberations. The trial lasted two weeks. 
 
 Hogan, whose given name is Terry Bollea, sued Gawker for $100 million for posting a video in 2012 of him having sex with his former best friend's wife. Hogan contended it was a violation of his privacy. 
 
 Gawker's editors contended the video and an accompanying post was a newsworthy commentary on the ordinariness of celebrity sex videos. 
 
 ___ 
 
 1:05 p.m.: 
 
 Jurors have begun deliberating in the civil trial of pro wrestler Hulk Hogan's lawsuit against Gawker media over a sex video. 
 
 Lawyers for both Hogan and Gawker gave closing arguments on Friday morning. 
 
 Hogan, whose given name is Terry Bollea, is suing Gawker for $100 million for posting a video in 2012 of him having sex with his former best friend's wife. Hogan contends it was a violation of his privacy. 
 
 Gawker's editors contend the video and an accompanying post was a newsworthy commentary on the ordinariness of celebrity sex videos. 
 
 ___ 
 
 11:15 a.m.: 
 
 Lawyers for Gawker Media have started their closing arguments in the civil trial of pro wrestler Hulk Hogan's lawsuit against Gawker media over a sex video. 
 
 Gawker's attorneys told the jury that the video is "not like a real celebrity sex tape" and urged them to watch the video, which contains nine seconds of sexual content. 
 
 Hogan's attorneys told jurors that the core of the case is that "Gawker took a secretly recorded sex tape . and put it on the Internet." 
 
 They said Hogan didn't consent to the video, that Gawker didn't follow usual journalism procedures before posting it, and that the video wasn't newsworthy. Hogan didn't ask for this to happen, lawyer Kenneth Turkel said. 
 
 Hogan, whose given name is Terry Bollea, is suing Gawker for $100 million. 
 
 ___ 
 
 9:30 a.m. 
 
 Closing arguments have begun in the civil trial between pro wrestler Hulk Hogan and Gawker media over a sex video. 
 
 Hogan's attorneys presented their arguments first, saying that Hogan didn't consent to the video. They said Gawker did not follow usual journalism procedures before posting the video because they didn't call Hogan for comment. 
 
 Lawyers for Gawker will presents closing arguments afterward. 
 
 Hogan, whose given name is Terry Bollea, is suing Gawker for $100 million for posting a video in 2012 of him having sex with his former best friend's wife. Hogan contends it was a violation of his privacy. 
 
 ___ 
 
 Closing arguments are expected to begin in former pro wrestler Hulk Hogan's lawsuit against Gawker Media over a sex tape. 
 
 Court resumes at 9 a.m. Friday after Judge Pamela Campbell sent jurors home early Thursday while lawyers for Hogan, Gawker and media companies discussed evidence issues. 
 
 On Thursday, the Second District Court of Appeals in Lakeland, Florida, ruled that sealed documents in the case are public records and should be available to the public and the media. 
 
 Attorneys for media companies including The Associated Press were seeking to have the files unsealed. 
 
 Hogan, whose given name is Terry Bollea, is suing Gawker for $100 million for posting a video in 2012 of him having sex with his former best friend's wife. Hogan contends it was a violation of his privacy.
– Former professional wrestler Hulk Hogan was awarded $115 million by a jury Friday in his lawsuit against Gawker, which published a sex tape featuring the Hulkster in 2012, the AP reports. It's $15 million more than he was asking. According to Ars Technica, which points out punitive damages could still be added to the total, the loss in court could be a "life-threatening event" for Gawker, which has around 250 employees. Gawker published a video of Hogan having sex with the wife of his friend Todd Clem—aka Bubba the Love Sponge—made at Clem's insistence. Clem had recorded the encounter, possibly without Hogan's knowledge. Hogan cried when the jury revealed its findings after nearly six hours of deliberations, CNN reports. In their closing arguments Friday, Hogan's lawyers argued the video was a violation of his privacy. "Gawker took a secretly recorded sex tape and put it on the Internet," the AP quotes Hogan's attorneys. Gawker's attorneys argued the site had a "legitimate news reason" for publishing the video as a "commentary on the ordinariness of celebrity sex videos." One of the website's lawyers went on to warn that if Hogan's suit was successful, "the Internet as we know it will cease to exist." In addition to Gawker, the jury found founder Nick Denton and former editor Albert Daulerio (who made headlines for saying he'd consider publishing the sex tape of anyone over the age of 5) personally liable. Gawker says it only made about $11,000 from publishing the sex tape and took outside investment for the first time to cover potential costs from the trial.