On Friday, a Florida jury found CNN liable for defamation of Navy veteran Zachary Young.
Young's lawsuit against the agency cites a November 2021 report by CNN chief national security correspondent Alex Marquardt.
“These are injuries that go beyond financial loss.”
“In our world today, the U.S. government, the Biden administration, said as of last week it had assisted at least 377 U.S. citizens and 279 lawful U.S. permanent residents to leave Afghanistan since August 31st. ” said the section. said. “Still, many Afghans are left behind, those who desperately want to escape Taliban control and who say their lives are in danger. As CNN's Alex Marquardt found, Afghans seeking to enter the country face a black market full of promises, exorbitant fees, and no guarantee of safety or success. ”
Mr. Marquardt claimed that Mr. Young was one of those exploiting “desperate Afghans.”
The segment aired on 11 CNN shows, including with Jake Tapper and Jim Acosta.
CNN claimed that some of the report contained opinions.
“At the time of reporting, CNN knew little about Mr. Young's finances, his model, or whether he was successful in evacuating anyone. [including CNN] “When I asked Mr. Young to explain his work, he obfuscated, acted unprofessionally, lied, and hid.”
“Clients and colleagues in the national security community should never associate with anyone involved in the 'black market' or 'exploitation,'” Young said. lawsuit he claimed. “Thus, despite being false, CNN's defamatory comments resulted in Young being permanently unemployed in a career that had trained him all his life, resulting in Young's income dropping to zero and millions of dollars in losses.” We suffered from a loss of income.”
Young's attorney, Devin Friedman, argued that his client was “deprived of the ability to walk into a room with pride and be seen as an honest professional.”
“These injuries go beyond financial loss. They strike at the very soul of who he is and what he was,” he added.
On Friday, a six-member Florida jury ruled that Young was entitled to $4 million in economic damages, $1 million in emotional damages, and additional punitive damages. However, the amount has not yet been determined.
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