The ongoing legal battle between the estate of Hulk Hogan and his former friend Bubba the Love Sponge has seen a significant development, according to the Creating Loafing Tampa Bay. A federal judge has granted a temporary restraining order that blocks Clem from including footage from Hogan’s infamous s—x tape in an upcoming documentary about the late WWE Hall of Famer.
U.S. District Judge Tom Barber issued the ruling last Thursday, siding with the estate’s argument that Clem intended to use excerpts from the video he secretly recorded back in 2007. While the order specifically prevents the use of any part of the tape, it does not stop the release of the documentary itself. The project is still scheduled for a private screening this Friday.
Hogan’s estate, led by his son Nick, filed the lawsuit to halt the film’s release entirely, continuing a contentious history between the two parties. The legal conflict comes just months after Hogan, real name Terry Bollea, passed away on July 24 at the age of 71.
Wrestling fans will remember the tape’s notorious leak, which exposed Hogan making racist remarks and led to successful legal action against Gawker and a settlement with Clem. Judge Barber’s ruling now ensures that specific footage, which he noted captured “consensual private conduct,” will remain out of Clem’s new film.