Judges Denies Motion In Lawsuit Against CNN

Folks, buckle up, because this defamation lawsuit between U.S. Navy veteran Zachary Young and CNN is shaping up to be a heavyweight showdown. A Florida judge has cleared the way for Young to go after punitive damages, ruling that the veteran’s claims of reputational harm hold water—and that CNN may have knowingly peddled a false narrative to millions of viewers.

Here’s the backstory: Young alleges that CNN smeared him in a segment aired on Jake Tapper’s The Lead, implying he was profiting from a “black market” during the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021.

The accusation? That he was one of the “bad actors” preying on desperate Afghans trying to flee the country. The problem? Judge William Henry ruled that CNN had no evidence to back up this explosive claim.

Now, let’s dig into the judge’s findings. Henry ripped into CNN’s defense, highlighting that despite claiming to have done “three weeks of newsgathering,” the network admitted it couldn’t substantiate allegations of illegality against Young. Worse, they used inflammatory terms like “black market” without any solid basis, painting Young as the face of wrongdoing.

In a damning assessment, the judge said CNN’s own reporters seemed intent on crafting a narrative about exploitation and fraud, and when Young didn’t fit the bill, they made him fit anyway.

Henry even suggested that CNN’s actions showed actual malice—a key legal threshold for defamation cases. That means a jury could find that the network either knowingly spread falsehoods or recklessly disregarded the truth.

The cherry on top? CNN tried to argue that Young’s actions violated Taliban law, a notion the judge dismissed with a blistering comparison to Nazi-era atrocities. Henry wasn’t buying it. He pointed out that CNN’s ever-shifting definition of “black market” further muddied the waters, making it clear that the network’s reporting relied on sensationalism over facts.

Young’s company, Nemex Enterprises, Inc., won’t be eligible for damages, but that’s a small concession for CNN. The trial is set for January 6 in Bay County, Florida, and it’s bound to draw major attention.

If Young prevails, it won’t just be a victory for him—it could send shockwaves through media organizations everywhere, reminding them that even in the cutthroat world of journalism, the truth still matters.