ItвЂ™s also unclear if Silicon Valley investor Peter Thiel is bankrolling the Jezebel suit as he did with HoganвЂ™s suit against Gawker - which ultimately paid Hogan $31 million to settle the privacy case before declaring bankruptcy. Harder did not respond to requests for comment about the lawsuit.ДЄlso Read: Sarah Palin Hired Gawker-Slayer Lawyers to Sue New York Times вЂњI think the New York court was the best idea,вЂќ Bandlow said. Gabrielle Giffords.ДЄccording to Los Angeles media lawyer Lincoln Bandlow, Harder didnвЂ™t have much choice on the venue since both Jezebel and ScherickвЂ™s company, International Scherick, are based in New York. District Court Judge Jed Rakoff, who ruled that Palin did not prove the Times acted with actual malice when publishing an editorial that mistakenly connected one of her political action committees to the 2011 Arizona shooting that wounded then-Rep. Kirtley added, вЂњAll things considered, if IвЂ™m libel media defendant, and if I could be sued anywhere, IвЂ™d prefer to be sued in New York.вЂќДЄ recent decision by a New York federal judge to dismiss Sarah PalinвЂ™s libel lawsuit against the New York Times is вЂњa great illustrationвЂќ that both federal and state judges in the Empire state are not afraid to give the boot to libel lawsuits, Kirtley said.ДЄlso Read: First Amendment Under Attack? TheWrap's Sharon Waxman Weighs in With Panel of Experts (Video) вЂњNew York judges generally follow established law and are accustomed to dealing with cases involving media of all types.вЂќ вЂњThereвЂ™s no question it has been historically easier to get a dismissal or summary judgment on libel cases in New York,вЂќ University of Maryland journalism school dean Lucy Dalglish told TheWrap. The sheer number of past suits over alleged press abuses - many media companies are based in the state - has created a strong collection of court decisions that guide judges on First Amendment protections, lawyers in the field say.ДЄlso Read: Hulk Hogan's Lawyer Is Now Suing Gawker Sister Site Jezebel Unlike his successful Hogan case, in which a Florida jury last year awarded $ 140 million to Hogan and forced Gawker into bankruptcy, Harder filed his new suit in New York - where judges have proved to be far more likely to dismiss libel lawsuits. None of those defenses are available in a privacy suit.ДЄnother key difference between the Jezebel and Gawker lawsuits is the location. If Scherick is found to be a public figure, which is possible given the popularity of his вЂњSuperstar MachineвЂќ program that prompted JezebelвЂ™s exposГ©, he must prove Jezebel published with actual malice, publishing with knowledge the article is false or with serious doubts that the article is true. Scherick must show that JezebelвЂ™s article is materially false, while Jezebel can win if it shows the article is substantially true. вЂњHe wasnвЂ™t even called before this was put up,вЂќ Turkel said, adding, вЂњthey didnвЂ™t have the common decency to call one person that was involved with it before they posted this story.вЂќДЄlso Read: Hulk Hogan's 'Startling' $115 Million Verdict Could End in Supreme Court, Says Bert FieldsДuring his closing argument, Turkel said, вЂњall that was ever asked was that Gawker be decentвЂќ adding, вЂњthe place is run by a guy who literally believes we donвЂ™t have privacy rights,вЂќ repeatedly tearing into DentonвЂ™s stance on privacy.Also Read: Jezebel Calls Lawsuit by Hulk Hogan's Lawyer 'Obvious Attempt. In closing arguments Friday, HoganвЂ™s attorney, Kenneth Turkel, blasted Gawker for not contacting Hogan before publishing the video. Hogan had maintained that he was unaware the encounter was being recorded.ДЄlso Read: The End of Sex Tapes? Hulk Hogan Verdict Could Press Stop, Says Legal ExpertДuring the trial, Hogan testified that the publication of the sex tape has вЂњturned my world upside-down,вЂќ adding, вЂњI was completely humiliated.вЂќДenton has said that Gawker intends to appeal the verdict. Gawker published snippets of a sex tape featuring Hogan and the then-wife of his friend, Todd вЂњBubba the Love SpongeвЂќ Clem.

On Friday, the jury determined that Hogan (real name: Terry Bollea) had suffered emotional distress from the 2012 publication of sex-tape footage featuring the wrestler, and also had suffered an invasion of his privacy.

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