CNN has been found liable for defamation against security consultant and Navy Veteran Zachary Young and has been ordered to pay $5 million in damages.
A Florida jury ruled Friday that CNN defamed security consultant and U.S. Navy veteran Zachary Young, finding the network liable for portraying him as an “illegal profiteer” in a report about Afghan evacuees being charged thousands of dollars to flee the country after the U.S. military withdrawal.
After two days of deliberations, the jury awarded Young $4 million in financial damages and $1 million for emotional harm. The jury also determined that Young is entitled to punitive damages, with the trial now entering a second phase to decide the amount CNN must pay in punitive damages.
