Jury finds CNN defamed Navy veteran with segment on Afghan refugees
A jury in Florida on Friday found that CNN defamed a Navy veteran with a report on his business that aired in 2021 and awarded him $5 million damages.
The plaintiff, Zachary Young, sued the network saying it harmed his business by including him in a 2021 segment about contractors who the report suggested were profiteering off Afghan refugees trying to flee the country after the Biden administration pulled U.S. forces out of the country.
The verdict came after more than eight hours of deliberation at a courthouse in Bay County, Fla., where jurors during a multiday trial were shown a string of evidence including depositions from top CNN anchor Jake Tapper and messages between reporter Alex Marquardt and Young before the segment ran.
As part of the verdict, the jury awarded Young $4 million in lost business damages and $1 million in personal damages.
The jury was also set to decide Friday afternoon on putative damages CNN must pay Young.
CNN said in a statement “we remain proud of our journalists and are 100% committed to strong, fearless and fair-minded reporting at CNN, though we will of course take what useful lessons we can from this case.”
Updated: 7:47 p.m.
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