Not so fast, Hulk. A Florida judge ruled on Friday, March 4, that Hulk Hogan will not be allowed to cite Erin Andrews’ ongoing case against a peeping Tom in his upcoming trial against Gawker Media.
The wrestling icon, whose real name is Terry Bollea, is currently seeking $100 million in damages from Gawker for publishing a video of him having sex with his pal Bubba “the Love Sponge” Clem’s wife, Heather, back in 2012. He claims that he had no knowledge of the tape being made.
ESPN reporter Andrews is currently in court for $75 million for being videotaped while she was naked in a Tennessee hotel room in 2008.
On Friday, Judge Pamela Campbell granted Gawker’s lawyers their motion to exclude any evidence related to Andrews’ trial, noting that she didn’t want any “confusion on the legal issues” at hand.
Hogan’s lawyers previously told CNN Money that the two cases were more similar than it might initially seem.
“What’s interesting is that I get this sense that the public and media are so in favor of Erin Andrews,” Hogan’s attorney Charles Harder said in February. “But for some reason, Hulk Hogan gets treated a different way.”
Despite the judge’s ruling on excluding certain evidence, however, Hogan’s lawyers expressed approval over the jurors who were selected for the case.
“We are exceptionally happy with the quality of people that showed up for the jury selection process,” another one of Hogan’s lawyers, David Houston, told FOX411. “Not only were they engaged, they were honest and competent. We are lucky to have had so many dedicated individuals from which to choose.”
Gawker Media said in a statement that its defense will focus on the site’s First Amendment rights.
“We are defending the First Amendment against Hulk Hogan’s effort to create a world where celebrities can promote themselves around any topic, in this case sex, and then veto how the media covers their lives,” the company said in a statement. “This tape shows Hulk Hogan having sex with his best friend’s wife, and in fact the tape was made by his best friend Bubba who also appears in the video. Hulk Hogan bragged about his sex life for years, denied this particular sexual encounter and now thinks his own choices are worth $100 million somehow."
The trial is expected to last three and a half weeks.
