The legal battle over Video Killed the Radio Star just escalated—hard. In a new filing this week, Bubba the Love Sponge’s legal team fired back at the lawsuit brought by Nick Bollea and Terry McCoy, calling the entire case against him “unsustainable” and demanding it be thrown out.
The lawsuit, filed last week on behalf of the estate of Hulk Hogan (Terry Bollea), accused Bubba—real name Todd Clem—of violating a previous settlement agreement, infringing on copyrights, and using trademarks without permission. The case stems from the controversial documentary centered on the Hulk Hogan sex tape scandal, which was screened in Tampa last Friday despite legal threats and a temporary restraining order from the court. Now Clem is pushing back hard. In a response filed Tuesday, his legal team called the TRO legally invalid:
“Last week’s TRO is legally and constitutionally unsustainable.”
One of the biggest points of contention is whether Bollea and McCoy even have the legal authority to file the suit in the first place. Clem’s attorneys argue:
“No estate has been opened or any personal representatives named, and therefore, Nick Bollea and Terry McCoy lack the authority to seek injunctive relief.”
The response also made it clear that Clem is not the producer of the film. According to the filing, the documentary is entirely controlled and distributed by Woltz Films—a company that is not named in the lawsuit.
“Clem is only a subject in the doc and made a content license agreement with Woltz Films to promote the documentary.”
Clem’s legal team accused the plaintiffs of targeting him on purpose to bypass fair use protections and drag him into a lawsuit he has no business being in:
“By purposefully bypassing Woltz Films… and instead targeting Clem, Plaintiffs secured sweeping early injunctive relief… contrary to well-established fair use law and also subjected Clem to senseless litigation. This tactic is improper.”
They also argue Clem has no involvement in the actual production process:
“Clem has no creative control, no ownership interest, no distribution rights, and no exhibition rights for the documentary.”
On the accusation that Clem violated a 2012 settlement agreement, his team isn’t backing down. They say any statements made about Hogan’s health or death were fair game:
“Clem’s statements were truthful and newsworthy.”
As for the film’s overall message, the response insisted Hogan is not the focal point:
“This is a documentary about Clem, not Bollea. Bollea was a party necessary to explain the overall historical narrative… but he is not the subject of the documentary film itself.”
Clem’s legal team is now asking the court to dissolve the TRO, dismiss the lawsuit entirely, and award them legal fees. They’ve also requested an expedited hearing before September 12 if the current TRO isn’t thrown out—and are pushing for the court to allow the film to proceed under fair use law if the case drags on.
This saga is far from over, but Bubba the Love Sponge has made it clear—he’s not rolling over.
Do you think Bubba the Love Sponge should be held responsible for the documentary, or is this lawsuit going too far? Please share your thoughts and feedback in the comment section below.
September 10, 2025 12:25 pm
