A Florida jury on Friday found that CNN defamed a U.S. Navy veteran when it implied he illegally profited from helping Afghans flee the country during a 2021 segment on “The Lead With Jake Tapper.” The network was ordered to pay Zachary Young $5 million in compensatory damages for libel, and the jury is still deciding on how much the network must now pay in punitive damages, according to media reports.
Young sued CNN in June 2022 for defamation after he said their segment on him “destroyed his reputation” and his security consulting business, Nemex Enterprises, Inc. The segment, reported by CNN chief security correspondent Alex Marquardt, said Young operated on the “black market” and “exploited” desperate Afghans fleeing the country following the U.S.