Billionaire Peter Thiel says he bankrolled Hulk Hogan’s lawsuit towards Gawker Media as a result of he "thought it was value preventing again" towards an outlet he calls a "singularly horrible bully."

The PayPal co-founder and early Fb investor tells The New York Occasions that Hogan’s lawsuit is considered one of a number of towards Gawker that he has financially backed.

Thiel informed the newspaper his plan has been a number of years within the making. He was publicly outed as homosexual in a 2007 publish on the corporate’s Valleywag weblog. Nonetheless, he says his motive is "much less about revenge and extra about particular deterrence."

Hogan gained a $one hundred forty million invasion-of-privateness verdict two months in the past towards Gawker for posting a intercourse tape of him. The corporate plans to attraction a decide’s denial Wednesday of a brand new trial or a discount within the verdict’s quantity.

Authorized specialists say there’s nothing unlawful about somebody financing a lawsuit.

Thiel, whose internet value is estimated by Forbes at $2.7 billion, didn’t instantly reply to interview requests.