"The Immortal" Hulk Hogan is expected to make his long awaited WWE return on the Feb. 24 edition of Monday Night RAW, the same night that the WWE Network launches, however he is still grappling with a legal issue outside of the ring. "The Hulkster" is entrenched in a lawsuit with Gawker.com over the release of a sex tape that he was involved in.
According to the New York Daily News, Gawker.com has filed papers demanding e-mails from Hogan's lawyer and publicist in Hogan's $1 million lawsuit against the website over his sex tape.
In the filing of the papers, Gawker's lawyers have specifically asked for Hogan's e-mails regarding a media tour he did in October 12, which included appearances on Piers Morgan and Howard Stern, among other shows.
"Respondents must certainly have been involved in coordinating these press appearances, and accordingly must have documents related thereto," read the court papers, according to the New York Daily News.
According to the report, Gawker is claiming that Hogan is trying to hide behind attorney-client privilege, and that Hogan's attorney Charles Harder has refused to comment on the new claims. The report indicates that Hogan is due in court on March 3 for a deposition in the case where he accused Gawker of violating his privacy by posing a sex tape of him online.
The Daily News reports that state and federal courts in Florida have protected Gawker's right to their report under the First Amendment after Gawker posted a grainy video entitled "Even for a Minute, Watching Hulk Hogan Have Sex on a Canopy Bed is Not Safe for Work, But Watch It Anyway," which depicted Hogan involved in a sexual situation with the wife of his ex-friend and Florida shock jock Bubba "The Love Sponge" Clem.
According to the report, Gawker maintains that the footage was taken from a 30-minute video and shows "fewer than 10 seconds of sexual activity in grainy black and white footage." The site also said that the rest of the clip "was comprised of fairly banal conversation"
Hogan, who received an undisclosed amount from Bubba Clem in 2012 in a similar lawsuit, said he was unaware that he was secretly being videotaped while being intimate with Heather Clem.
Hogan will make his return to WWE on Feb. 24 and will likely have a large involvement in the WrestleMania XXX pay-per-view on April 6 at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans.
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