Zachary Young alleged CNN defamed him in a report by chief security correspondent Alex Marquardt that said he operated in a "black market."

CNN found liable for $5 million in defamation trial against US Navy veteran over Afghanistan report - The jury awarded Young $5 million in compensatory damages and found that the security contractor should also receive punitive damages for his pain and suffering.

A jury in Panama City, Florida on Friday found CNN guilty of defaming a U.S. Navy veteran in a 2021 story about people paid to rescue endangered Afghans following the Taliban takeover of the country.

A Florida jury began deliberations this afternoon in a security consultant’s defamation lawsuit against CNN. Zachary Young sued the network following a report in 2021 that he sought exorbitant fees to evacuate Afghans in what amounted to a black market in the chaotic U.

A Florida jury found CNN liable for defaming Navy veteran Zachary Young, requiring the broadcaster to pay $5 million in damages. Young accused CNN of damaging his reputation by labeling him a profiteer.

A Florida jury on Friday found U.S. broadcaster CNN liable for defaming a U.S. Navy veteran who helped evacuate people from Afghanistan after the U.S. military withdrew from the country in 2021. (Reporting by Jack Queen in New York) Copyright 2025 Thomson Reuters.

Zachary Young alleged that CNN smeared him by implying he illegally profited when helping people flee Afghanistan on the "black market" during the Biden administration's military withdrawal from the country in 2021.

CNN correspondent Alex Marquardt defended his story on Zachary Young, a security consultant who charged $14,000 or more to evacuate people from Afghanistan.