PANAMA CITY, FLORIDA – The jurors continue to deliberate in the high-stakes defamation lawsuit against CNN, with deliberations extending into Friday morning.
The plaintiff, U.S. Navy veteran Zachary Young, has accused CNN of tarnishing his reputation by suggesting that he illegally profited from helping people escape Afghanistan on the “black market” during the Biden administration’s military withdrawal from the country in 2021. Young claims CNN’s segment on November 11, 2021, on “The Lead with Jake Tapper” damaged his reputation and business by portraying him as an illegal profiteer exploiting desperate Afghans.
The jury deliberated for nearly six hours, with Judge William S. Henry overseeing the trial in Bay County, Florida. Judge Henry allowed the jury to continue working into Thursday evening after they initially requested to return Friday morning. The jurors were provided pizza after expressing hunger and fatigue and were dismissed at 9:18 p.m. CT.
The trial will resume at 8:15 a.m. CT on Friday after three-plus years of litigation and an eventful eight-day trial. The court previously ruled that Young did not engage in illegal or criminal activities as reported by the network.
CNN’S ALEX MARQUARDT HESITANT TO ADMIT HE MADE MONEY COVERING WAR ZONES: ‘I DON’T GO THERE TO GET PAID’
U.S. Navy veteran Zachary Young alleged that CNN smeared him by implying he illegally profited when helping people flee Afghanistan on the “black market” during the Biden administration’s military withdrawal from the country in 2021. (Jessica Costescu)
Tapper hinted at the segment during the show, highlighting “desperate Afghans still trying to escape the country being preyed on by folks demanding that they pay up big time to get out.”
During the segment, Marquardt mentioned that “desperate Afghans are being exploited” and need to pay “exorbitant, often impossible amounts” to leave the country.
Young’s legal team presented evidence of internal messages from CNN staff expressing hostility towards him, including calling him names like “a–hole” and “shitbag.” The trial will continue on Friday and can be streamed live on Fox News Digital.
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