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Gawker Media Files For Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Protection

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Gawker Media has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, about three months after pro wrestler Hulk Hogan won a $140 million lawsuit against the online gossip and news publisher.

The New York company says in the filing that it has as much as $500 million in debt and up to $100 million in assets.

Hogan sued Gawker after it posted a video of him having sex with a friend's wife. Hogan was awarded $115 million in compensatory damages plus an added $25.1 million in punitive damages.

It was later revealed that billionaire tech investor Peter Thiel had been secretly funding Hogan's lawsuit.

Gawker Media operates a handful of websites, including its flagship news site and technology-focused Gizmodo. The company shuttered its Hollywood-focused site, Defamer, late last year.

(TM and © Copyright 2016 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2015 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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