According to a CNN employee, losing a high-profile defamation case this week may have been anticipated within the network, but it still left a lasting impact.
The employee stated bluntly in a message to Fox News Digital, “Being found liable for defamation and dishonesty is detrimental.”
Navy veteran Zachary Young successfully sued CNN for falsely implying that he illegally profited from assisting people in fleeing Afghanistan on the “black market” during the Biden administration’s military withdrawal in 2021. Young claimed that CNN tarnished his reputation and business by labeling him as an illicit profiteer who took advantage of “desperate Afghans” in a report that aired on CNN’s “The Lead with Jake Tapper” on Nov. 11, 2021.
After a tumultuous two-week trial in Florida, the jury awarded Young $4 million in lost earnings, $1 million in personal damages, and considered punitive damages against CNN. However, a settlement was reached between CNN and Young before the jury made a decision on the punitive damages.
Zachary Young speaks to Fox News Digital after winning his lawsuit against CNN. (Joseph A. Wulfsohn/Fox News Digital; Brandon Bell/Getty Images)
JURY FINDS CNN COMMITTED DEFAMATION AGAINST NAVY VETERAN, SETTLEMENT REACHED ON PUNITIVE DAMAGES
Following the case, Young expressed feeling “vindicated.”
“It’s been a long three years, and to achieve the outcome we desired, vindication publicly, is an incredible feeling. I am relieved that it’s over, and we can move on without prolonging the dispute over the meaning of a word,” Young told Fox News Digital on Friday.
Initially receiving minimal press coverage, the trial gained more attention from mainstream media outlets as it progressed, ultimately leading to widespread coverage of the verdict on Friday.
