There is a chance this is political because of Thiel's support for a Trump presidency. It may be ironically the case that Denton is receiving financial support

There is a chance this is political because of Thiel's support for a Trump presidency. It may be ironically the case that Denton is receiving financial support and that what they are accusing Thiel of doing, they are actually in the process of doing. That would be right out of his playbook. It's been suspected for ages that Gawker and Salon were a front for some kind of political organization in Washington which focuses its attention in Silicon Valley. A PR pre-emptive strike force if you like. It would explain something about their selectivity in their choice of targets. Mysterious money moving in mysterious ways. Take a look at Salon's wikipedia page, and then google for information on Gawker's profit and loss accounts. I can't believe they never got hit by the IRS, which potentially signifies the pull that political organization has.