It reads like something out of the ABC drama "Scandal:" Silicon Valley billionaire secretly bankrolls outside lawsuit to destroy his arch-enemy in the media. Call crisis management ace Olivia Pope.
But, according to the latest developments in the Hulk Hogan vs. Gawker Media lawsuits, this tabloid-like tale could be a reality. Gawker is hoping the last-minute development could help it snatch victory from the jaws of a $115 million defeat.
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Peter Thiel, the billionaire co-founder of PayPal and an early investor in Facebook, has been quietly bankrolling the former wrestler's invasion of privacy suit against Gawker, which owns the Deadspin sports blog, according to Andrew Ross Sorkin of the New York Times and Ryan Mac of Forbes.