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I wonder how much this will actually affect Denton. Often people file bankruptcy as a means of protecting their assets, as opposed to accepting that they have
by erdevs 10y ago
I wonder how much this will actually affect Denton. Often people file bankruptcy as a means of protecting their assets, as opposed to accepting that they have none.
I think Denton/Gawker were and are a net disservice to society. But they're also far from the worst or most egregious examples of the archetype of a say-anything-for-money tabloid.
What do others think of Thiel's hand in all this? On one hand, I respect it. Well-played, thus far. On the other hand, it isn't good that a select few (the extremely wealthy) can wield so much influence when other less wealthy people who may have been similarly wronged simply cannot. Equal opportunity and equal justice, etc. That lack of equality is likely a symptom of our costly and cumbersome legal system, though. Also, anyone think this will blow back on Thiel? Perhaps Denton can countersue? Perhaps behaving this way will have costly knock-on effects elsewhere in life or business?
- Lawtonfogle 10y agoAs for the impact of the wealthy... I don't see any new issue here worth worrying about. The only thing that changed is we see someone pretty wealthy getting crushed by someone extremely wealthy. There is a level of the rich that have found themselves the prey of an even larger predator, and only now do they start caring who gets preyed upon. If anything I'll enjoy watching them fall to a larger version of their own sword.
- huac 10y agocool, the rest of us don't savor the ability of the uber-rich to erase Others from the face of the earth (some might even call them super-predators!)
- bradleyjg 10y agoAssuming he's a NY resident, the laws here are not particularly generous. For example, our homestead exemption for a married couple tops out at $331,100. I don't really understand all the ins and outs of chapter 11 bankruptcy (it is more commonly used by companies than individuals) but I don't think he is going to be able to retain all that much wealth if the judgment ends up standing. On top of that he'll have to pay all "disposable income" to creditors for five years.
- ryanlol 10y agoHe'd have to be a complete idiot to not have any offshore money.
- bradleyjg 10y agoAll assets have to be listed in the bankruptcy petition. He'd have to a complete idiot to commit perjury given his prominence and the fact that one of his creditors (Hogan) has good lawyers with unlimited budgets.
- zeveb 10y ago> On the other hand, it isn't good that a select few (the extremely wealthy) can wield so much influence when other less wealthy people who may have been similarly wronged simply cannot. It's also not fair that wealthy and powerful corporations (e.g. Gawker) can wield so much influence. I think the only thing the little guys can hope for are good big guys to do battle on their behalf.
- munificent 10y ago> Also, anyone think this will blow back on Thiel? Nothing blows on billionaires.
- ScottBurson 10y agoI don't care much about Gawker, for reasons others have expressed already, but if I were looking for investors, Thiel's support of Donald Trump would give me serious pause. Would I want to spend the next N years of my life making someone like this wealthier? I don't think I would feel this way about a McCain or Romney supporter -- those I could put down to "reasonable people may differ". But Trump -- yikes! I'd have to think about it, hard.
- erdevs 10y agoI imagine there is some long-game here. A ploy of some kind. Though I'm not sure how effective or probable it could be. I can imagine a "burn it down" strategem at play. By electing Trump, bet that no outright epic-level disaster will be created, but that ridiculous problems will manifest under such a Presidency so as to bring in to stark relief the maladies of our enormous government and the almost comical inefficacy of our democracy today. Try to springboard from there to the change you hope to create, in being able to say "clearly, our systems are broken. We need a new way forward." Alternatively, can see a plan to dismantle one flailing party as a first step, with a follow-on plan to dismantle the other party subsequently, and thereby open the gate for a third (Libertarian?) party. Alternatively, could see this as a means of stymying to some degree the criticism that SV tech companies and veterans attempt to distort political discourse toward liberalism. "You think Facebook distorts reality in favor of liberalism, and that most tech companies do the same, inadvertently or not? Well, look here! One of the most famous and influential of SV's modern Titans, and a Facebook board member no less, outrightly supporting Trump." Or, perhaps this is a legitimate swing against liberalism, and against established parties and established political candidates, which would align with Thiel's stated political philosophy. Or, perhaps the move is based on the sum of all of these partial probabilities, and others. But I suspect subtlety here in some form, and perhaps at least the delusion of a grand plan.
- benologist 10y agoI think Denton's a parasite, but they forced Hogan to be accountable for something he should not have done like a tasteless Wikileaks. A nicer and more ethical Gawker could have been a good thing, were it allowed to survive and change. I don't think it matters Thiel funded it, I don't really see how that's different to a high profile lawyer volunteering or expecting Apple, Google etc to step in when Lodsys were being parasites the other year etc. The EFF funds plenty of stuff too I think. If the consequences were survivable or Hogan lost would anyone have cared Thiel backed it?
- tnone 10y agoI'm really curious to hear your justification for calling this a matter of accountability, considering he was set up so that tape could be filmed, and all it shows is consensual sex. People shouldn't have sex? Polyamory is morally wrong? Celebrities do not deserve privacy? What? The tape was ruled not suitable for publishing a long time ago, when Gawker published "A Judge Told Us to Take Down Our Hulk Hogan Sex Tape Post. We Won't." They were suitably outraged over leaked female celebrity nudes of course.
- benologist 10y agoHe decided to get a blowjob from his friend's wife... everything else happened because it was less secret than he thought!
- whatok 10y agoIf Thiel financed a lawsuit for the lady whose rape video was posted or the Conde Nast exec who got outed, would anyone be protesting?