BAY COUNTY, Fla. (Court TV) — CNN is on trial for libel in Florida as a Navy veteran claims the network destroyed his reputation.
Zachary Young says CNN rendered him “permanently unemployable” when they ran a report that falsely accused him of making money off of helping desperate people flee Afghanistan.
A photo of Zachary Young and his dog is shown in court Jan. 7, 2025 during his defamation case against CNN. (Court TV)
The segment claimed that Young, who worked as a security consultant, offered Afghans so-called “black market evacuations” on Aug. 30, 2021 — the day the U.S. military withdrew from Afghanistan.
Young was the first witness to take the stand in the defamation suit filed by him and his security consulting partner, the Boca Raton, Fla.-based Nemex Enterprises.
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The CNN report by Alexander Marquardt aired on Nov. 11, 2021, on “The Lead with Jake Tapper.” It claimed contractors were charging exorbitant sums of money to evacuate Afghans. Young claims the network smeared his name when it called him an “illegal profiteer.” He argues that the segment was filled with lies published for sensationalism. Days later, it was posted on CNN.com and CNN’s Facebook page.
CNN issued an on-air apology in March 2022, but a judge ruled that the apology was inadequate. The network opted, however, to stand by its report rather than settle with Young out of court.
On direct examination, Young described the devastation of being labeled a criminal as soon as CNN associated his name with the term “black market.”
Young and Nemex are seeking damages for loss of business income and emotional distress. The civil trial will be decided by a Bay County, Fla. jury which will determine whether CNN’s report was a direct attack on Young.
