CNN found guilty of defamation of US Army veteran who helped people get out of Afghanistan

Written by Jack Queen

(Reuters) – A Florida judge on Friday found TV news provider CNN guilty of defaming a U.S. military veteran who helped evacuate people from Afghanistan after U.S. troops withdraw from the country in 2021.

A six-person jury ordered CNN to pay up to $5 million in damages. There will be a second phase of the trial to determine any punitive damages. The decision follows a two-week trial in Panama City, Florida, district court.

A representative for CNN said the network would not comment until a judge decides on punitive damages.

Plaintiff Zachary Young sued CNN in 2022, accusing the Warner Bros. Discovery division of defaming him on the segment “The Lead with Jake Tapper” by portraying him as a profiteer who exploited desperate Afghans for exorbitant fees.

CNN stood by its story and denied defaming Young, although the network said in March 2022 that it regretted using the term “black market” to describe Young’s work.

The case stems from Young’s work as a security consultant helping organizations and charities evacuate people from Afghanistan after the Taliban quickly took over following the US withdrawal.

In a segment on The Lead, CNN said “desperate Afghans” trying to flee the country were being “exploited” by “expensive” and “impossible” immigration fees.

The section turned to focus on Young, displaying his name and image next to a chyron saying that vacationers face a dangerous “black market.”

“The sum and total of the part states and states that Young sold directly to Afghan citizens, that he exploited Afghan citizens, and that he sold them illegal goods/services on the black market,” Young said in his lawsuit.

Young’s lawyers say CNN’s characterization of his work as illegal or exploitative is false and that he has repeatedly told the network that he works with corporations and non-governmental groups that are trying to expatriate their people. The high prices were due to high demand, Young said.

Young said the CNN segment destroyed his reputation and career, caused him depression and anxiety and deprived him of millions of dollars in income.

In order to win this case, Young had to prove that CNN knew or should have known that its reporting was false but published it. He also sought punitive damages, intended to punish the defendants and required Young to prove that CNN intended to harm him.

The case went to trial after a judge denied CNN’s motion to dismiss the lawsuit and allowed Young to seek punitive and punitive damages, a decision that was upheld by an appeals court.

(Reporting by Jack Queen in New York; Editing by Noeleen Walder and David Gregorio)