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The Reno Gazette-Journal has a fascinating interview today with the Reno attorney, David Houston, who represented Hulk Hogan in his remarkable $140 million verdict against Gawker.
I have not been into the details of the case enough to offer an informed opinion on what the verdict might mean for freedom of the press, but I found this quote from Houston to be intriguing:
I don’t think this is a First Amendment case at all. I think that was a ruse and I think a lot of the pundits and talking heads are banging the drum in calamity for the First Amendment. There’s no such thing here.
He clarifies later in the Q&A why he believes this to be true, because they argued the sex video had nothing to do with free speech or journalism whatsoever.
We did not challenge Gawker as far as what they printed. We challenged Gawker for showing this video. There is a world of difference between the two.
I do tend to agree with the sentiment Houston and the jury shared — the no-holds-barred attitude of many who regard the internet as some kind of lawless wasteland. People are still responsible for the rampant theft and invasion of privacy it enables.
Whether the amount holds up, I do think the jury sent a powerful message about accountability. That I can applaud.
