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PANAMA CITY, Florida – US Navy veteran Zachary Young is celebrating the “vindication” he received after a jury found that CNN had defamed him, concluding the intense two-week court battle.
“I’m glad it’s over,” Young said. Fox News Digital in an interview. “I feel very, very, very good.”
After more than eight hours of deliberation, the six-person jury ruled that Young would receive $4 million in lost profits, $1 million in personal damages such as pain and suffering and said punitive damages against CNN were warranted. But as the second phase of the trial was underway, lawyers for Young and CNN said 14th Judicial Circuit Court Judge William S. Henry They had reached an agreement.
“It’s been three long years, and to get the result we wanted, which was a public vindication, is an incredible feeling. And I’m glad it’s over and we don’t have to spend more years and more time arguing.” about the meaning of a word,” Young said.
US Navy veteran Zachary Young spoke with Fox News Digital following his defamation victory against CNN. (Joseph A. Wulfsohn/Fox News Digital)
The amount of the settlement was not disclosed, but it came after an expert witness suggested that $150 million was a fair amount to punish CNN.
After a years-long legal battle with CNN, Young tells Fox News Digital that he has “no animosity” toward the network.
“I think this was a good outcome for both of us,” Young said. “Now I can move on with my life and for a long time I couldn’t even imagine what it would be like or what it would feel like. I still wonder what it will feel like.” when everything calms down, but in terms of animosity toward CNN, I don’t have any.”
“I hope they learn something from this experience,” he continued. “I hope they take this as an opportunity to look in the mirror and realize that there is room for change and improvement, and if that’s the outcome it has on CNN and maybe others in the media can see it too.” as something positive.”
CNN DEFAMATION TRIAL: FINAL ARGUMENTS MADE AS JURY BEGINS TO DELIBERATE LAWSUIT AGAINST THE NETWORK
CNN settled its defamation case against Young after a jury determined that the network defamed him. (John Greim/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Vel Freedman, Young’s lead attorney in the defamation suit against CNN, also praised the legal victory.
“We were able to clear Zak’s name, get a verdict and then reach a settlement so he can avoid lengthy appeals and move on with his life,” Freedman told Fox News Digital. “So, as a lawyer, it’s exactly what you want to do.”
In a statement to Fox News Digital, a CNN spokesperson said: “We remain proud of our journalists and are 100% committed to strong, fearless and unbiased reporting on CNN, though we will of course learn what useful lessons we can from this. case.”
Young accused CNN of defaming him after it aired a graphic linking him to “black markets” during the segment that first aired on “The Lead with Jake Tapper.” (CNN/Screenshot)
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Young accused CNN of defaming him by implying that he illegally profited from helping people flee Afghanistan on the “black market” during the The Biden administration military withdrawal from the country in 2021. Young believed CNN “destroyed his reputation and business” by calling him an illegal profiteer exploiting “desperate Afghans” during the November 2021 segment.
Young’s legal team obtained damning internal messages from CNN through discoveries that repeatedly showed employees expressing open hostility toward the Navy veteran. Among those presented to the jury is one who calls him an “imbecile” and another who says he has a “face you can hit.”
It was also revealed that Alex MarquardtThe CNN correspondent who led the on-air report told a colleague “let’s get this Zachary Young mf—er,” a message often cited throughout the trial.
Fox News’ Brian Flood and Annie McCuen contributed to this report.
