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Los Angeles - Hulk Hogan has been awarded $115 million after Gawker published footage of him having sex with Heather Clem.
The wrestling legend has won the civil case which he has pursued since the news outlet posted a clip of him bedding the now ex-wife of his former friend Bubba "The Love Sponge" Clem online in October 2012.
The retired wrestler's legal team insisted Gawker violated his privacy and the video was not newsworthy, whilst they argued in return that freedom of the press was more important.
But the star's pursuit of the civil case has now been justified by the ruling in his favour in a court in St. Petersburg, Florida.
The case was closely followed in the media and some believe it resulted in the leak of further audio revealing Hulk - whose real name is Terry Bollea - using the "N-word" during a conversation about his daughter Brooke Hogan's then-boyfriend.
The 62-year-old star's contract with WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) was subsequently terminated after the transcript was released and the company - which he helped to turn into a global entertainment brand - cut all ties with him, even removing mentions of him from their official website.
The sex tape recording was secretly made in 2007 when the wrestler was suffering from depression in the wake of his wife Linda Hogan filing for divorce.
