CNN must pay millions for defaming security contractor employee said had ‘punchable’ face

CNN was ordered Friday to pay $5 million for defaming a security contractor in a 2021 story about desperate Afghan refugees seeking to flee their country.

The contractor, Zachary Young, sued in 2022, alleging that his livelihood was destroyed after the network accused him of operating in a “black market.”

The jury found that CNN had defamed Young and ordered the network to pay $4 million for his loss of income, plus another $1 million in other compensatory damages. The jury also found CNN should have to pay punitive damages.

On Friday afternoon, CNN and Young’s attorneys reached a settlement on the punitive damages award. The settlement amount was not immediately announced, but it relieved the jury from the obligation of reaching a separate verdict on that issue.

In response to the outcome, a CNN spokesperson said, “We remain proud of our journalists and are 100% committed to strong, fearless and fair-minded reporting at CNN, though we will of course take what useful lessons we can from this case.”

The trial lasted two weeks in Panama City, Fla. The jury deliberated for about seven hours before reaching its verdict Friday morning.

Kyle Roche, Young’s attorney, thanked the jury for its verdict, saying that Young “feels heard in a way he hasn’t for three years.”

Before the settlement was announced, Roche began the damages phase by urging the jury to punish CNN “where it hurts — the bottom line.”

“They treated him as guilty until proven innocent,” Roche said. “They labeled him as a criminal for their own benefit.”

David L. Axelrod, CNN’s attorney, told the jury that he was “disappointed” in the verdict. Urging the jury to limit its punitive damages award, he said that the network is not “unredeemable.” He also argued that the network’s worth is in “subtle decline,” given the “headwinds” faced by the entire media industry.

The attorneys returned from a lengthy break Friday afternoon to inform Judge William Henry that they had settled the punitive damages issue. One of the jurors asked what the amount was. The judge said that even he did not know, and the attorneys on both sides remained tight-lipped.

At the beginning of the trial, Roche had urged the jury to “send a message” to the mainstream media by holding CNN liable.

“Reckless journalism is un-American,” Roche said in his opening statement. “It’s dangerous, and if media companies engage in theater in the newsroom, Americans will hold them accountable in the courtroom.”

CNN’s lawyers defended the coverage as “tough” but “fair and accurate.”

The trial revealed numerous internal communications among CNN’s reporters, in which reporter Alex Marquardt referred to Young as a “mf-er” and vowed to “nail” him. Another CNN employee said that Young had a “punchable” face.

The CNN report told of Afghans who were seeking to escape the country after the Taliban takeover in 2021. Young advertised his services on LinkedIn, charging $14,500 per person in some cases. CNN argued that amount was far beyond what a typical Afghan could pay. The piece included about a minute on Young. CNN’s defense team argued that the references to Young relied almost entirely on his own words.