Nick Denton’s bankruptcy; Salesforce buying Quip; Apple wins
Gawker founder Nick Denton filed for personal bankruptcy Monday in the aftermath of a Florida jury’s awarding $140 million to former pro wrestler Hulk Hogan in a privacy case revolving around a sex tape posted on Gawker.com.
Overall, Denton’s filing says he has $100 million to $500 million in liabilities, compared with assets of $10 million to $50 million.
Silicon Valley billionaire Peter Thiel, who co-founded PayPal and was an early investor in Facebook, had been a strong critic of Gawker and bankrolled Hogan’s lawsuit.
U.S. District Judge Robert Schroeder has tossed out a jury’s decision calling for Apple to pay $625.6 million in damages to a Nevada company that claims Apple infringed on its patents.
The claims were from VirnetX, which buys technology patents and aims to make money from licensing fees and lawsuits.