When a well-known media company previously worth roughly $250 to $300 million files bankruptcy, it makes news. Add in an outed revenge-seeking billionaire financing a lawsuit against the company brought by a pro wrestler/reality TV star over a published tape c of him enjoying some hanky-panky with his friend’s wife, well, now you’ve really got a thriller.

Gawker Media, an online media company and blog network owned by Nick Denton, filed for bankruptcy last Friday. The filing came after the company lost a $140 million lawsuit brought by the flamboyant former pro wrestler Hulk Hogan over excerpts of a tape of him and his friend’s wife Gawker posted on its site.

Peter Thiel, who made his fortune with PayPal and Facebook, funded the lawsuit, calling it one of his most philanthropic efforts, as well as many others in what is seen as an act of revenge over many Gawker posts about him, including one in 2007 with the headline “Peter Thiel is totally gay, people.”

In this instance, filing bankruptcy may have been the only option for Gawker, as insurance doesn’t cover the $140 million judgment, and the company wanted to protect its assets from seizure.

Odds are really good you won’t find yourself in this situation. But you may be considering filing bankruptcy. That is one option I discuss with clients when their companies are in dire straits.

However, there are several other avenues to explore first and many reasons not to take this step, as outlined in my post The Downsides of Bankruptcy. These include the expense, the damage to your company’s reputation and the loss of control.

While bankruptcy is one tool used to protect assets, it’s not the only one and requires careful consideration of the alternatives. At GlassRatner, we look beyond the obvious choices and consider the optimum strategies to help you and your business.