CNN has been ordered to pay $5 million for defaming a security contractor in a 2021 story about desperate Afghan refugees seeking to flee their country.
The contractor, Zachary Young, sued in 2022, alleging that his livelihood was destroyed after the network accused him of operating in a “black market.”
The jury found that CNN had defamed Young and ordered the network to pay $4 million for his loss of income, plus another $1 million in other compensatory damages. The jury also found CNN should have to pay punitive damages.
A separate proceeding is underway to determine the amount of those damages. The trial has been ongoing for the last two weeks in Panama City, Fla., on the Florida Panhandle. The jury deliberated for about seven hours before reaching its verdict.
Kyle Roche, Young’s attorney, thanked the jury, saying that Young “feels heard in a way he hasn’t for three years.” He urged the jury to punish CNN “where it hurts — the bottom line.”
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“They treated him as guilty until proven innocent,” Roche said. “They labeled him as a criminal for their own benefit.”
David L. Axelrod, CNN’s attorney, told the jury that he was “disappointed” in the verdict. He urged the jury to limit its punitive damages award, noting that the network is not “unredeemable.” He also argued that the network’s worth is in “subtle decline,” given the “headwinds” faced by the entire media industry.
Roche had urged the jury to “send a message” to the mainstream media by holding CNN liable.
“Reckless journalism is un-American,” Roche said in his opening statement. “It’s dangerous, and if media companies engage in theater in the newsroom, Americans will hold them accountable in the courtroom.”
CNN’s lawyers defended the coverage as “tough” but “fair and accurate.”
The trial revealed numerous internal communications among CNN’s reporters, in which reporter Alex Marquardt referred to Young as a “mf-er” and vowed to “nail” him. Another CNN employee said that Young had a “punchable” face.
The CNN report told of Afghans who were seeking to escape the country after the Taliban takeover in 2021. Young advertised his services on LinkedIn, charging $14,500 per person in some cases. CNN argued that amount was far beyond what a typical Afghan could pay. The piece included about a minute on Young. CNN’s defense team argued that the references to Young relied almost entirely on his own words.