Jury Finds CNN Defamed Navy Veteran Zachary Young in Jake Tapper Segment, Awards $5 Million

Jan 17, 2025, 06:16 PM

A Florida jury found CNN liable for defaming U.S. Navy veteran Zachary Young in a 2021 report that falsely portrayed him as operating a "black market" operation charging Afghans thousands of dollars for evacuation during the U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan. The jury awarded Young $5 million in compensatory damages—$4 million for lost earnings and $1 million for personal damages such as pain and suffering. Before the jury could decide on punitive damages, CNN reached a settlement with Young for an undisclosed amount. The defamation stemmed from a segment aired on Jake Tapper's show, which depicted Young, a security consultant and former CIA operative, as illegally profiting from evacuations. During the trial, CNN's legal team argued against punitive damages, citing the network's declining revenues—from $2.2 billion in 2021 to $1.8 billion in 2023—and expressing concerns about the potential financial impact on the company's ability to report on major news events. Following the verdict, CNN released a statement expressing pride in its journalists and commitment to "strong, fearless and fair-minded reporting," while acknowledging it would take useful lessons from the case.