CNN has reached a $5 million settlement with Zachary Young, a U.S. Navy veteran and security contractor, after a Florida appeals court upheld a defamation verdict against the network. The court ruled that CNN had defamed Young by suggesting he inflated prices for evacuations during the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021.
The legal dispute stemmed from a segment on CNN’s The Lead with Jake Tapper, which aired on November 11, 2021. The broadcast accused Young of charging “exorbitant prices” to evacuate Afghans. Young filed a defamation lawsuit against CNN, claiming that the report falsely portrayed him as a profiteer exploiting vulnerable individuals during the Afghan crisis.
The Florida First District Court of Appeal affirmed a trial court’s decision, awarding Young and his company, Nemex Enterprises, $5 million in compensatory damages. In the aftermath, the parties reached a settlement, although the details were kept private.
CNN, in a statement, expressed continued pride in its journalistic work, asserting its commitment to “strong, fearless and fair-minded reporting” while acknowledging the lessons learned from the case.
During the trial, Young testified that Nemex Enterprises’ expenses for evacuation efforts were covered by corporate and charitable donations, and he never charged Afghan evacuees. He emphasized that his firm actively discouraged Afghans from seeking their services.
CNN had argued that its report was either an expression of opinion or contained ambiguous language, and that their internal communications reflected journalistic confidence. However, the jury found that CNN acted with “actual malice,” failing to verify the facts before airing the segment. The network was also criticized for giving Young only two hours to respond to the claims without conducting adequate fact-checking.
In a statement following the trial, Young told BBC News that the lawsuit was about holding CNN accountable for its false reporting. He added that his business, which had helped rescue 23 people during the Afghan evacuation, had been severely impacted by the media coverage, resulting in a collapse of operations and a loss of consulting income.
This case highlights the growing scrutiny faced by media outlets over the accuracy and integrity of their reporting, particularly in matters involving high-stakes international events.
