EXCLUSIVE DETAILS: Judge Hands Besieged CNN Devastating Verdict in High-Stakes, Explosive Billion Dollar Defamation Trial With U.S. Navy Veteran
A federal judge ruled in Navy veteran Zachary Young's favor ahead of the billion dollar CNN defamation trial.
Dec. 9 2024, Published 5:05 p.m. ET
A federal judge handed the Navy veteran suing CNN a huge legal win ahead of his billion dollar defamation trial.
RadarOnline.com can reveal Judge William Henry denied the network's motion for summary judgement while siding with veteran Zachary Young on several key issues.
With Henry's ruling, Young has been allowed to "proceed with his claim for punitive damages".
CNN was handed a major legal blow in the defamation case brought by veteran Zachary Young.
Young has accused CNN of tarnishing his name by implying he profited off a "black market" while helping people flee Afghanistan during the Biden administration's 2021 military withdraw.
The veteran claimed the network "destroyed his reputation and business" with a segment on Jake Tapper's The Lead in 2021, which was also shared on social media and the network's website.
During the segment, Tapper told viewers CNN correspondent Alex Marquardt found "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."
The judge ruled Young 'proceed with his claim for punitive damages'.
In Henry's ruling, he stated the court found the veteran "did not take money from Afghans".
In court documents obtained by RadarOnline.com, Henry wrote: "Despite claiming it did 'three weeks of newsgathering' and 'spoke with more than a dozen sources,' Defendant's representatives acknowledged it had no evidence that Young did anything criminal or illegal. Yet, Defendant used the Black Market Chyron. This is sufficient evidence upon which a reasonable jury could find with convincing clarity that Defendant acted with actual malice to survive summary judgment on this issue.
"Defendant had no evidence of illegality and Young said he was not contracting with or taking money from individuals. Despite this, Defendant published his name and photograph as the poster child bad actor preying on Afghans."
The court also found Young 'did not take money from Afghans'.
The judge continued: "Accordingly, the record evidence could support a conclusion that Defendant aired and posted the Pieces knowing the gist was false or with reckless disregard as to whether the gist was false or not."
CNN's lawyers attempted to argue Young violated the Taliban’s Sharia law, prompting Henry to slam the network's legal team.
Henry wrote: "Framing these circumstances as a 'debate' between the Taliban rulers and the rest of the free world would be akin to saying it was debatable whether the Nazi extermination of the Jews at Auschwitz was wrong."
Young claimed the network 'destroyed his reputation and business'.
He further claimed the network's lawyers failed to prove how Young operated in a "black market".
The judge stated: "The fundamental problem with Defendant's arguments is that they rely on its own proffered definition of 'black market,' which has been a moving target throughout this litigation, and ignore the potential that "black market" connotes illegality or criminality."
CNN's legal team also claimed Young "thrust himself into this controversy by reaching out to" reporter Katie Bo Lillis.
But Henry also pushed back on this argument, stating: "(A) brief review of this communication does not demonstrate, at least on its face, that Young was seeking to thrust himself into the media spotlight concerning Afghanistan. Rather, his initial communication was a 'business call.' He reached out to see if Lillis needed someone to provide evacuation services."
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Despite the scathing ruling, CNN was given a win when Henry ruled Young's company, Nemex Enterprises, Inc., would not be considered for damages.
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