Left-leaning news outlet CNN faces a massive defamation lawsuit from Navy Veteran Zachary Young over the network’s coverage of his business operations in the wake of the disastrous 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan. Previous reporting from CNN host Jake Tapper and correspondent Alex Marquardt had suggested that Young was taking advantage of desperate Afghans seeking refuge from war.
A recent ruling from Florida’s First District Court of Appeals affirmed that Young could seek punitive damages from the network that could meet or exceed $1 billion. “Young sufficiently proffered evidence of actual malice, express malice, and a level of conduct outrageous enough to open the door for him to seek punitive damages,” Judge L. Clayton Roberts wrote.
Court documents provide background on Young’s business, where he provided clients with extraction services for Afghans fleeing the embattled nation in the aftermath of the Biden-Harris administration’s chaotic withdrawal of U.S. military resources from the nation early on in the term. “Young is a U.S. Navy Veteran and former U.S. government operative who operates a private security consulting practice through his company, Nemex Enterprises, Inc. (collectively, “Young”). Part of Young’s work involved evacuating Afghan citizens during the United States withdrawal from Afghanistan,” documents read.
“On November 11, 2021, CNN’s “The Lead with Jake Tapper” aired a video segment by reporter Alex Marquardt about Afghans attempting to flee the Taliban via private evacuation operators like Young. Over the next few days, Marquardt’s reporting was republished on another CNN program, disseminated on Facebook and Twitter, and repackaged into a digital article on CNN’s website,” the court filing continued.
The court substantiated some of the claims made about Young’s business. “The totality of Young’s proffered evidence met this burden. CNN chose to use language like “black market,” “exploit,” “exorbitant,” and “desperate Afghans” on television and online,” the court document stated, before going on to quote Tapper from his previous reporting on the matter.
Tapper said, “In our world today, the U.S. government, the Biden administration says that as of last week it had assisted in the departure of at least 377 U.S. citizens and 279 lawful permanent residents of the U.S. from Afghanistan since August 31st. Still, many Afghans, Afghans who desperately want to flee Taliban rule and Afghans who say their lives are at stake, they remain behind. As CNN’s Alex Marquardt has discovered, Afghans trying to get out of the country, face a black market full of promises, demands of exorbitant fees, and no guarantee of safety or success.”
However, Tapper did issue a later correction months after the initial reporting on Young, but it has been argued the statement was insufficient to remove the damages done to his business and reputation. “And before we go, a correction. In November, we ran a story about Afghans desperate to pay high sums beyond the reach of average Afghans,” the host said in March 2022.
Tapper continued, “The story included a lead-in and banner throughout the story that referenced a black market. The use of the term black market in the story was in error. The story included reporting on Zachary Young, a private operator who had been contacted by family members of Afghans trying to flee the country. We didn’t mean to suggest that Mr. Young participated in the black market. We regret the error and to Mr. Young, we apologize.”
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