CNN Loses Defamation Trial Over Afghan Evacuation Report

CNN defamed a U.S. Navy veteran in a 2021 report portraying him as illegally exploiting Afghans by charging exorbitant fees to be evacuated in the aftermath of the U.S. military withdrawal from the country, a jury has found.

A Florida jury on Friday awarded Zachary Young, a security consultant who said the story destroyed his business and reputation, $5 million after a nine-day defamation trial, The Washington Post reporter Jeremy Barr, who was onsite for the trial, reported. The damages verdict doesn’t account for punitive damages, intended to punish particularly malicious conduct, which will push the total higher.

The verdict could signal the public’s perception of CNN, which didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment, as President Donald Trump comes into office after years of denouncing the network for allegedly biased coverage.

The disputed segment opens with Jake Tapper describing the U.S. government’s evacuation of citizens. He goes on to say Afghans “trying to get out of the country face a black market full of promises, demand of exorbitant fees, and no guarantee of safety or success.” The segment then switches to CNN chief security correspondent Alex Marquardt describing the situation of a man located in the U.S. whose family remained in Afghanistan and said that he found people on Facebook charging $10,000 per person to be evacuated. Marquardt stated that “according to Afghans and activists we’ve spoke with, desperate Afghans are now being exploited” because of the “exorbitant” and “impossible” amounts charged, pointing to a LinkedIn post from Young advertising his services and chat logs between him and people inquiring about his business.

Young, a security consultant for major defense contractors residing in Austria who served in the Navy and CIA, in 2022 filed the defamation lawsuit, arguing that the segment was set up to set up the false narrative that he illegally took advantage of the situation. He denied the assertion and said that he only assisted U.S. corporations and charities, which paid up to $14,500 for his services, that wanted to extract certain people from the country.

Threatened with legal action by Young, CNN issued an on-air apology, issued a retraction and removed the segment, as well as all references to “black markets” made in relation to him. Network executives testified during the trial that a correction wasn’t necessary.

Young said the story rendered him unemployable since maintaining his security clearance involves investigations to identify criminal activity and financial difficulties. He sought at least $15 million.