The Peter Thiel connection wasn't known until after the trial was over. Key phrase from the NY Times article[1]: "What the jury — and the public — did not know

The Peter Thiel connection wasn't known until after the trial was over. Key phrase from the NY Times article[1]: "What the jury — and the public — did not know was that Mr. Bollea had a secret benefactor paying about $10 million for the lawsuit: Peter Thiel". 1. http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/26/business/dealbook/peter-thiel-tech-billionaire-reveals-secret-war-with-gawker.html?_r=0 http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/26/business/dealbook/peter-th...