A Florida appeals court temporarily lifted the threat of personal bankruptcy hanging over Gawker Media LLC founder Nick Denton as a result of a heated legal battle with former wrestler Hulk Hogan, The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday. The judge’s ruling prevents Terry Bollea, the wrestler’s real name, from enforcing a $140 million invasion-of-privacy judgment handed down in Florida earlier this year over sex tape that the blog published in 2012. The judgment, which is being appealed, led Gawker to file for chapter 11 protection last month. Denton is personally liable for $10 million of the judgment and jointly liable, along with former Gawker editor A.J. Daulerio, for another $115 million. Without court protection, Mr. Denton has said he can’t afford to pay the judgment and would have no choice but to file for bankruptcy. The ruling, made in response to an emergency request by Denton and Daulerio, protects them until the court can hold another hearing on the matter. The court didn't require Denton or Daulerio to post a bond or to pledge assets to secure the ruling. Lawyers for Denton and Daulerio said that they should be able to pursue their appeal of the $140 million judgment without facing financial ruin. The request “is warranted here because forcing the defendants into bankruptcy was the true purpose of this case all along.”
