CNN found guilty in Florida lawsuit for defaming Navy veteran in Afghan history

A Florida jury on Friday found CNN guilty of defaming a US Navy veteran in a 2021 story about people being paid to rescue endangered Afghans after the Taliban took over the country.

The jury in Panama City, Florida, deliberated for more than eight hours starting Thursday before ruling in favor of Zachary Young, who accused CNN of destroying his business by showing his face on screen in a story about a “black market” for smuggling desperate Afghans for high fees.

The jury has awarded Young $5 million in damages and is now being asked to decide whether CNN must pay additional punitive damages.

It was an unusual guilty verdict against a media outlet in a libel case. Defamation laws are generally protective of news organizations, and plaintiffs must meet a high standard to prove defamation.

Young had argued that his business targeted sponsors who could afford to pay for Afghans to come out, not individual Afghans who charged as much as $10,000 for the service. While CNN said it was incorrect to use the term “black market”, it maintained that its reporting on Young was accurate.

“I know Zach feels heard in a way that he hasn’t felt in over three years,” Young’s attorney, Devin Freedman, said after the sentencing.