It’s no secret that Gawker are a disliked entity among Internet users for various reasons, and some commenters on the situation are pointing out that Hogan’s lawyers tried to capitalize on that fact, and they were quite successful.
It wasn’t hard to paint Nick Denton in a bad light as he wasn’t putting much effort in resisting that in the first place, or at least that’s the impression that most people following the case seem to have right now. However, it’s not clear how much Denton could have said to change the minds of the jury, given the preceding behavior of his publication during the case.
Right now, the company has to consider their financial situation carefully. Reports indicate that they will need to deposit a large sum in an escrow account in order to even be eligible for an appeal, which could put a giant dent in their operations.
According to some, even the appeal process and the financial issues that the company will face during it could be enough to put them out of business. Some have also pointed out that in similar cases in the past, various businesses and users have jumped to offer financial aid to companies facing large fines or financial verdicts. However, currently there doesn’t seem to be any major interest in raising money in Gawker’s support. Which, for most, is exactly the outcome they had expected.