The jury in Hulk Hogan's invasion of privacy suit against Gawker Media awarded the ex-wrestler $115 million on Friday.
The six person jury in St. Petersburg, Florida -- four women and two men -- deliberated for nearly six hours.
Hogan, dressed all in black including a black bandana, cried when the verdict was announced.
The ex-wrestler, whose real name is Terry Bollea, had sued Gawker, founder Nick Denton and former editor A.J. Daulerio for posting the nearly two-minute segment of a Hogan sex tape in 2012. Hogan's suit claimed Gawker violated his privacy and sought $100 million.
"Mr. Bollea is exceptionally happy. This is not only his victory today, but also anyone else who's been victimized by tabloid journalism," his lawyer David Houston said outside the courtroom. Hogan stood quietly behind the lawyer, his sunglasses failing to conceal dried tears on his cheeks.
But he tweeted "Thank you God for justice."
The jury must still consider whether to impose punitive damages next week.
"We're coming back Monday for the rest of it," Houston said.
Gawker's legal team, which had argued that posting the video was protected by the First Amendment, appeared to have anticipated a costly verdict. Lawyers for the New York news site issued a statement shortly after the jury retired to begin deliberations. The statement mentioned the jury's inability to consider a trove of recently unsealed documents related to the case.
"It may be necessary for the appeals court to resolve this case," the statement said.
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