CNN found guilty of defaming US Navy veteran who extorted Afghans for a fee media news
The plaintiff accused CNN of destroying his reputation by portraying him as a profiteer who exploited desperate Afghans.
TV news provider CNN has reached a settlement with a United States Navy veteran who helped evacuate people from Afghanistan after US forces withdrew from the country in 2021, a judge has said, after a jury heard a TV Hours after the news outlet was found liable for defaming him.
A six-member jury decided Friday that CNN must pay a total of $5 million in damages. The agreement would have postponed the second phase of the trial, which would have determined any punitive damages. The verdict came after a two-week hearing in Panama City, Florida state court.
Circuit Judge William Henry did not provide details of the deal when announcing the settlement in open court Friday.
Plaintiff Zachary Young sued CNN in 2022, accusing the Warner Bros. Discovery Unit of destroying his reputation in a segment on its program, The Lead with Jake Tapper, branding him as a profiteer who overestimated Exploited desperate Afghans by collecting 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.
unusual guilty verdict
The case stems from Young’s work as a security consultant, helping corporations and charities evacuate people from Afghanistan after the Taliban quickly took back control following the chaotic US withdrawal.
In a segment on The Lead, CNN said that “desperate Afghans” trying to flee the country were being “exploited” with “exorbitant” and “impossible” fees for evacuation.
The segment focused on Young, displaying her name and photo next to a chyron, saying that evacuees faced a dangerous “black market”.
Young said in his lawsuit, “The essence and substance of the clause states and implies that Young marketed extractions directly to Afghan citizens, that he exploited Afghan citizens, and that he sold them illegal goods/services on the black market “
Young’s lawyers said that CNN was wrong to characterize his work as illegal or exploitative and that he repeatedly told the network that he had only worked with corporations and non-governmental groups that were trying to extort their people. Are. Young said the higher prices were due to higher demand.
Young said the CNN segment destroyed his reputation and career, causing depression and panic attacks and depriving him of millions of dollars in income.
It was an unusual guilty verdict against a media outlet in a defamation case. Defamation laws are generally protective of news organizations, and plaintiffs must meet a high standard to prove defamation.
To win the case, Young had to prove that CNN knew or should have known that its reporting was false, but published it anyway. They also sought punitive damages, which are intended to punish the defendants and required Young to prove that CNN intended to harm him.
The case went to trial when a judge rejected CNN’s bid to dismiss the case and allowed Young to seek punitive as well as compensatory damages, a decision affirmed by an appeals court.
