In response to a public outcry, Snyder has released
nearly
300 pages of emails that reveal how poorly state agencies responded to the
slow-moving crisis. But while Snyder, a Republican, and his appointees have
borne the brunt of the outrage, it turns out the Environmental Protection
Agency fell down on the job, too.
*************************************************
2.[http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/hulk-hogan-exclusive-picked-wrong-guy-wrestler-gawker/story?id=37857361];
stling legend Hulk Hogan said
Gawker Media “picked the wrong guy”
when it posted to its website a video of his having sex with his former best
friend’s wife, adding that he sued for invasion of privacy because he was
determined to hold the company accountable for misusing its power.
“I
told my wife, I said, ‘If I had to get my situation where I had to sell
everything and borrow money and do whatever, I will not stop. They actually
picked the wrong guy,’” Hogan said in an exclusive interview with ABC News’
Linzie Janis that aired today on “
Good
Morning America.” “I don't know how to tell you, I took it real personal.”
He
added: “[
Gawker] was hoping
that, financially, I wouldn't be able to stay in the game with them, and I'd
quit or tap out or something,” the wrestler said. “I felt like I had this
monster on my shoulders no matter where I went.”
Hogan
prevailed, winning a whopping $115 in compensatory damages plus an added $25.1
million in punitive damages, for a total of $140.1 million. Gawker has said it
is appealing.
Hogan
-- whose real name is Terry Bollea -- revealed that when the ruling was
announced in his favor he was so overwhelmed with emotion that he didn’t hear
that he had been awarded more than the $100 million he had sought.
“I
went upstairs with my whole crew. And everybody was excited. And I heard
somebody say something about, ‘the number was unbelievable.’ And I said,‘Well,
what was the number?’” he recalled. “I didn't hear the number. I was so
overwhelmed that people actually believed me, it just -- it was like white
noise at that point. I didn't hear anything else.”
'I
Knew What We Were Doing Was Right'
The
sex taping occurred in 2007, when Hogan says he was separated from his now
ex-wife Linda. It was published on Gawker in 2012.
Both
he and Heather Cole, the woman in the tape, said they did not know they were
being filmed at the time. Cole also testified that she didn't know who leaked
the video to Gawker.
Hogan,
62, said he started to cry during the reading of the verdict because he was
overwhelmed that people believed him.
He
called the trial a test of his faith but said he remained committed to the
course, despite feeling “numb” in court.
“I
knew we were doing what was right ... And if we would have lost, it would have
been good, because everybody would have known what Gawker was all about.
Because I exposed them. I exposed them a million times over, and what they do,
and then how they, you know, treat people, and how they look at the world.
Which, to me, is very, very scary,” he said.
'I
Would Never Watch the Tape'
Gawker's
lawyer, Michael Berry, alleged in court that Hogan filed his lawsuit in an
effort to get “lots and lots of money," adding that Denton
wanted “the public to have the simple, unvarnished truth … about public
figures.”
Hogan
said the suit was not about money. He said his "whole world went upside
down" when the tape was released.
Janis
mentioned that Hogan had talked about the tape publicly and asked how
embarrassed he could have been if he could do that. Hogan acknowledged that he
did talk about the tape publicly, including on “The
Howard Stern
Show,” but noted that sex was a frequent topic on “shock jock shows like that.”
He continued: “Talking about it's a lot
different than having something illegally post a tape when you're seen naked in
front of seven million people. And the one thing that Nick Denton did get
right, that his articles will stand the test of time (for) ... I will be naked
forever. You know. Until my children's children's children die, because of the
Internet.”
Hogan
said he still hasn’t seen the tape in question.
“Well,
I saw the still images ... I would never watch the tape,” he said.
The
tape was recorded by his then best friend, Bubba “the Love Sponge”Clem. Hogan
said Clem constantly asked him to sleep with his then-wife, adding that the
woman would hit on him as well.
Hogan
said he was “just sick” after he realized Clem was behind the tape, and said he
begged Clem for an explanation.
“And
I was -- you know, just texting and texting, ‘Why did you do this to me? You've
destroyed my life. Why did-- please just tell me ... You set me up. You filmed
me without my knowledge. Why'd you do this?’” Hogan said. “I never got an
answer. Never.”
He
said it was tough to have to tell his two children, Brooke and Nick, about the
sex tape scandal.
His
children have felt the effects and have had to “put up with so much from
people,” but they’ve remained supportive, Hogan said.
“They're
actually proud of their dad for doing the right thing. I explained to them why
I was doing what I had to do, come what may,” he said.
Hogan
said his life has changed a great deal, and he’s no longer the man he used to
be. He said he writes affirmations to keep himself positive.
'All
I Do Is Pray for Linda'
Hogan’s
ex-wife, Linda, has said she believes the jury award represents a reward for
Hogan's bad behavior. Asked about her comments, Hogan replied:“All I do is pray
for Linda. Pray for Linda, constantly ... All I can do is pray for her.”
Hogan,
who married Jennifer McDaniel in 2010, has acknowledged that he made a mistake
in sleeping with Clem’s wife when he himself was still married to Linda.
“Even
when I was there it didn't feel like the right thing to do. But I did it
anyway,” he said of the encounter. “That's very humiliating, very embarrassing.
And the only thing I can say is I pray to God that people can learn from my
mistake. Because I sure did. I sure learned.”
Gawker
has said it will prevail on appeal. Whether that happens or not, Hogan said he
believes he did the right thing.“If they win the appeal, all I pray is that
they change and become actually journalists and legitimate journalists and do
the right thing, you know, with their power,” Hogan said.
In a
statement after this week's verdict, Gawker’s General Counsel, Heather
Dietrick, said, "Soon after Hulk Hogan brought his original lawsuits in
2012, three state appeals court judges and a federal judge repeatedly ruled
that Gawker's post was newsworthy under the First Amendment. We expect that to
happen again -- particularly because the jury was prohibited from knowing about
these court rulings in favor of Gawker, prohibited from seeing critical
evidence gathered by the FBI and prohibited from hearing from the most
important witness, Bubba Clem.”
Hogan’s
image suffered another blow last year when he was
accused of using a racial slur. While
he admitted to having used the n-word and apologized for it, he has steadfastly
denied being a racist, saying he grew up in an environment where all his
friends used the word to greet each other.
The
WWE – formerly the WWF – took drastic action. It fired Hogan and removed his
image and name from its website's Hall of Fame.
Despite
that, Hogan said the WWE remains family.
"It
would be really nice to be, you know, in the Hall of Fame. But it's not as
important as what we did with this case,” he said. “I don't think you can
destroy my legacy, you know, because the fans know Hulk Hogan and know what
flipped the switch on this industry ... it would be great to be part of the
Hall of Fame and be legitimate and be, you know, looked at by the establishment
of the WWE as back in good graces. But if it doesn't happen, you know, it'd be
sad. But I can look at myself in the mirror and be happy.”
