Jury Orders CNN to Pay $5 Million for Defaming Navy Veteran in Jake Tapper Report

Jan 17, 2025, 05:57 PM

CNN has been found liable for defamation by a Florida jury in a case involving U.S. Navy veteran Zachary Young, who assisted in evacuations from Afghanistan following the U.S. military withdrawal in 2021. 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—and determined that punitive damages were warranted. The defamation stemmed from a November 2021 CNN report that aired on Jake Tapper's show, which portrayed Young as an "illegal profiteer" operating a "black market" evacuation operation. During the trial, the judge forced CNN's lead counsel to apologize to Young in court. Before the jury could decide on the amount of punitive damages, CNN reached a settlement with Young.