In the CNN defamation trial, the plaintiff celebrated ‘proof’
Panama City, Fla. US Navy veteran Zachary Young is celebrating his “vindication” after a jury found CNN defamed him.
“I’m glad it’s over,” Young told Fox News Digital in an interview. “I feel very, very good.”
After deliberating for more than eight hours, the six-person jury awarded Young $4 million in damages, $1 million in personal damages such as pain and suffering, and punitive damages, according to CNN. But with the second trial underway, lawyers for both Yang and CNN told 14th Judicial Circuit Judge William S. Henry they had reached a settlement.
“It’s been three years so far, and to get the results we wanted, to be publicly confirmed, is an incredible feeling. And I’m glad it’s over, and we don’t have to spend years and more time arguing about the meaning of a single word, Young.”
When a jury found CNN defamed against a Marine, it awarded punitive damages.
US Navy veteran Zachary Young spoke with Fox News Digital following his defamation victory over CNN. (Joseph A. Wolfson/Fox News Digital)
The amount of the settlement was not disclosed, but it came after an expert witness said $150 million was the right amount to fine CNN.
Following a years-long legal battle with CNN, Young told Fox News Digital that he has “no animosity” against the network.
“I think it 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 that would look like or feel like.” I wonder how this must feel. When the dust settles, however, I have nothing in terms of hostility toward CNN.
“I hope they learn something from this experience,” he continued. “I hope that they will take this as an opportunity to look in the mirror and realize that there is room for change and improvement, and if this is the outcome, CNN and maybe others in the media will see it as a positive thing.”
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CNN settled the defamation suit against Young after a jury found the network defamed him. (John Graham/Lightrocket via Getty Images)
Vel Friedman, Young’s lead counsel in the defamation suit against CNN, said it was a legal victory.
“We cleared Zach’s name, got a verdict, and then we were able to avoid extended appeals and move on with his life,” Friedman told Fox News Digital. “So as a lawyer, that’s exactly what you want to do.”
In a statement to Fox News Digital, a CNN spokesperson said: “We are proud of our journalists and 100% committed to producing strong, fearless and fair-minded reporting at CNN, even as we learn the important lessons we can.” This matter”
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Young accused CNN of defaming him after airing a graphic linking him to “black markets” in an episode originally titled “The Lead with Jake Tapper.” (CNN/Screenshot)
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The young man accused CNN of illegally profiting from helping people flee Afghanistan on the “black market.” The Biden administration In the year Military withdrawal from the country by 2021. In a November 2021 segment, Young believed that CNN had “destroyed its reputation and its business” by branding it an illegal profiteer who took advantage of “desperate Afghans.”
Young’s legal team has obtained CNN’s internal messages in a discovery that repeatedly shows staffers showing open hostility toward a Navy veteran. Among those presented to the jury was a “s—bag” he called a “ha–hole” with a “sweet face.”
CNN reporter Alex Marquardt, who led the on-air report, reportedly told our colleague, “We’re going to nail this Zachary Young MF—er,” a message often quoted during the hearing.
Fox News’ Brian Flood and Annie McCune contributed to this report.
