Gawker announced on Thursday that they would be shutting down this week. Their parent company, Gawker Media, is being purchased in an auction in bankruptcy court by Univision.
The website shutdown comes after Hogan sued (and won) for damages in excess of $140 million for publishing parts of Hulk Hogan’s sex tape in 2012. Hogan maintained that he did not know that he was being filmed. Gawker founder Nick Denton has also filed for personal bankruptcy.
Hogan posted the following tweet:
They messed with the wrong guy brother HH
— Hulk Hogan (@HulkHogan) August 18, 2016
The Gawker.com statement is below:
After nearly fourteen years of operation, Gawker.com will be shutting down next week. The decision to close Gawker comes days after Univision successfully bid $135 million for Gawker Media’s six other websites, and four months after the Silicon Valley billionaire Peter Thiel revealed his clandestine legal campaign against the company.
Nick Denton, the company’s outgoing CEO, informed current staffers of the site’s fate on Thursday afternoon, just hours before a bankruptcy court in Manhattan will decide whether to approve Univision’s bid for Gawker Media’s other assets. The near-term plans for Gawker.com’s coverage, as well as the site’s archives, have not yet been finalized.
