Nick Hogan sues Bubba the Love Sponge over Hulk Hogan sex tape scandal

Nick Hogan, on behalf of his father's estate, has filed a lawsuit in a federal court in Florida against Bubba the Love Sponge. According to TMZ's report, Hulk's son alleges that the upcoming documentary titled "Video Killed the Radio Star: The Untold Story of the Hulk Hogan Sex Tape Scandal" infringes on his father's copyrights and trademarks, and seeks to prevent the project from being released.

The lawsuit claims that the documentary, scheduled to premiere later this month, uses unauthorized images and video clips from the tape in its official trailer. Additionally, Nick Hogan accuses Bubba of violating the settlement agreement he reached with Hulk in 2012, when the scandal erupted publicly.

That year, the now-defunct website Gawker leaked the intimate video featuring Hulk and Heather Clem, Bubba's then-wife. Hogan sued both Bubba and Gawker, reaching a private settlement with the former and securing a high-profile legal victory against the digital media outlet. The case was one of the most publicized of the decade, sparking a major debate on the boundaries of sensationalist journalism and privacy.

The controversy escalated further when other segments of the recording showing Hulk using racist language were made public, leading to his temporary suspension from WWE programming. However, he would later return to the company, where he remained affiliated until his passing in July of the same year.

After years of litigation, in 2016 a Florida jury ruled in favor of Hogan, ordering Gawker to pay him 140 million dollars in damages. The verdict left the company on the brink, forcing it to declare bankruptcy and sell its assets to Univision. Ultimately, the settlement between the parties was reached at around 31 million dollars, but the financial and media blow was so significant that it marked the end of Gawker as an independent media outlet.