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Hogan had sued Gawker for $100 million after the site published a portion of a sex tape with the former wrestler and his former friend's then-wife in 2012.

The taping occurred before Hogan and his ex-wife Linda divorced in 2009. Hogan -- whose real name is Terry Bollea -- sued for invasion of privacy and much of his testimony centered on the difference between his fictional character and Bollea, the private citizen. He said that his \"whole world went upside down\" when the tape was released.

Both he and Heather Cole, the woman in the tape, said that 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.

Gawker's lawyer, Michael Barry, 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.”

Denton and Daulerio both testified during the trial.

Denton said in a statement: “Given key evidence and the most important witness were both improperly withheld from this jury, we all knew the appeals court will need to resolve the case. I want to thank our lawyers for their outstanding work and am confident that we would have prevailed at trial if we had been allowed to present the full case to the jury. That’s why we feel very positive about the appeal that we have already begun preparing, as we expect to win this case ultimately.”

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