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CNN Found Guilty Of Defaming U.S. Navy Veteran And Ordered To Pay MILLIONS In Damages, Jury Rules
A Florida jury on Friday found CNN guilty of defaming a U.S. Navy veteran in a 2021 report about people paid to rescue Afghans in the aftermath of the U.S. military withdrawal from the country.
The jury awarded Zachary Young $5 million in damages.
Young, a security consultant, said the story destroyed his business and reputation.
The network may have to pay additional punitive damages.
Young blamed CNN for ruining his business by showing his face onscreen and framing the report as a “black market” charging desperate Afghans “exorbitant fees” to escape.
Jury finds CNN owes Young punitive damages.
— Joseph A. Wulfsohn (@JosephWulfsohn) January 17, 2025
Jury found Young is owed $4 million in financial damages and $1 million in emotional damages by CNN.
— Joseph A. Wulfsohn (@JosephWulfsohn) January 17, 2025
WATCH:
NEW: Jury finds CNN liable for defaming U.S. Navy veteran who helped with Afghanistan evacuation. pic.twitter.com/RfJM6luR4c
— TV News Now (@TVNewsNow) January 17, 2025
From the Associated Press:
It was an unusual guilty ruling against a media outlet in a defamation case. Libel laws are generally protective of news organizations, and plaintiffs must meet a high standard to prove defamation.
Young had argued that his business targeted sponsors who could afford to pay for Afghans to get out, not individual Afghans charged as much as $10,000 for the service. While CNN said it was wrong to use the phrase “black market,” it contended that its reporting on Young was accurate.
“I know Zach feels heard in a way that he hasn’t felt for over three years,” Young’s lawyer, Devin Freedman, said after the verdict.
JUST NOW: A jury has found CNN liable for defamation against Zachary Young for lying about his efforts to rescue people from Afghanistan. The jury has awarded Zachary Young $5 million in compensatory damages. The jury will next decide how much CNN must pay in punitive damages.
— Sean Davis (@seanmdav) January 17, 2025
Jury finds that CNN committed defamation against Navy veteran, awards punitive damages https://t.co/kpG6nMiKi7
— Fox News (@FoxNews) January 17, 2025
Per The Hollywood Reporter:
The disputed segment opens with Jake Tapper describing the U.S. government’s evacuation of citizens. He goes on to say Afghans “trying to get out of the country face a black market full of promises, demand of exorbitant fees, and no guarantee of safety or success.” The segment then switches to CNN chief security correspondent Alex Marquardt describing the situation of a man located in the U.S. whose family remained in Afghanistan and said that he found people on Facebook charging $10,000 per person to be evacuated. Marquardt stated that “according to Afghans and activists we’ve spoke with, desperate Afghans are now being exploited” because of the “exorbitant” and “impossible” amounts charged, pointing to a LinkedIn post from Young advertising his services and chat logs between him and people inquiring about his business.
Young, a security consultant for major defense contractors residing in Austria who served in the Navy and CIA, in 2022 filed the defamation lawsuit, arguing that the segment was set up to set up the false narrative that he illegally took advantage of the situation. He denied the assertion and said that he only assisted U.S. corporations and charities, which paid up to $14,500 for his services, that wanted to extract certain people from the country.
Threatened with legal action by Young, CNN issued an on-air apology, issued a retraction and removed the segment, as well as all references to “black markets” made in relation to him. Network executives testified during the trial that a correction wasn’t necessary.
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