CNN could be on the hook for a big payout stemming from a defamation lawsuit over a report about a military veteran who sought to help people flee Afghanistan when the U.S. withdrew from the country in 2021 that aired on anchor Jake Tapper’s show.
New details about the court battle are coming to light ahead of CNN’s presidential debate on Thursday between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump. Tapper is expected to moderate alongside fellow anchor Dana Bash.
A Florida appellate court affirmed this month that U.S. Navy veteran Zachary Young and his company, Nemex Enterprises Inc., could seek punitive damages for the Afghanistan story that the plaintiff alleges had improperly suggested he was an illegal profiteer.
Vel Freedman, Young’s lawyer, told NewsBusters his client lost $40-60 million in economic opportunity and could get up to $600 million if a jury awards him emotional damages. With punitive damages, CNN could also end up paying $1 billion, per the report.
The lawsuit alleges CNN wrecked Young’s reputation and business with its report by correspondent Alex Marquardt. Tapper introduced the segment by telling of a “black market” with demands of “exorbitant fees” and “no guarantee of safety or success.”
Internal communications produced in the case showed CNN employees call Young, the sole operator profiled in the TV and online report, a “shitbag” and “a-hole.” There was also a remark about how they were “going to nail this Zachary Young mfucker.”
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Other CNN messages revealed discussions about how the story was “full of holes like Swiss cheese” and Young telling Marquardt hours before publication that there were factual inaccuracies in the reporting — which CNN went and published anyway.
CNN argued in its appeal that it “did not intend to harm,” that its “language was either opinion or ambiguous,” and that the internal communications were “journalistic bravado that reflected a sincere belief in the reporting,” the appeals court noted in its opinion.
But “Young sufficiently proffered evidence of actual malice, express malice, and a level of conduct outrageous enough to open the door for him to seek punitive damages,” the judges said as they affirmed a trial court judge’s ruling that came before it.
The Daily Wire reached out to a CNN representative on Tuesday seeking comment on the Florida appellate court’s ruling but did not immediately receive a response. This report will be updated if CNN does reply to the request.
