The problem here isn't Peter Thiel destroying Gawker, because this was a case where Gawker did do wrong and was found liable for damages. In effect, Thiel paid

The problem here isn't Peter Thiel destroying Gawker, because this was a case where Gawker did do wrong and was found liable for damages. In effect, Thiel paid for Hogan's lawyer the way the government pays for criminal defendants' lawyers. The problem is when a different billionaire uses the same tactics to bankroll much less meriotorious lawsuits against media that hold them accountable, not media that publish sex tapes. This isn't theoretical, it happened to Mother Jones. It's a problem with the property of the legal system that it can be weaponized against someone who has done nothing wrong, as well as the ability to bankroll this weaponization secretly.