This billion-dollar lawsuit could take down CNN

CNN may have made the costliest mistake in network history.

An under-the-radar case is about to blow up.

And this billion-dollar lawsuit could take down CNN.

Defamation suit proceeds against CNN

A judge on Florida’s First District Court of Appeals delivered a bombshell ruling that Zachary Young could seek uncapped punitive damages as part of his defamation lawsuit against CNN.

Young sued CNN after a segment that the complaint said “branded [Young] a human trafficker” as well as a “war profiteer” in a report questioning his efforts to help Afghans escape the country in 2021 as the Taliban seized control following Joe Biden’s disastrously executed withdrawal.

Judge William Scott Henry wrote that “Young sufficiently proffered evidence of actual malice, express malice, and a level of conduct outrageous enough to open the door for him to seek punitive damages.”

Henry’s ruling as based on internal communications from CNN where reporter Alex Marquardt wrote that he wanted to “nail this Zachary Young mf*****” and declared this story to be Young’s “funeral.”

The Lead host Jake Tapper allegedly called the rescue operation a scam, claiming Young offered “no guarantee of safety or success.” 

But one CNN editor wrote that the network’s website wouldn’t publish a story about Young because the allegation he was scamming Afghans was unproven.

“Digital decided not to publish a digital version from Alex. They told me it was bc we could not answer the question is this a scam,” the editor wrote.

“It’s not clear to me if everyone is being ripped off or if some people pay up and get out. And that’s pretty crucial! . . . If he doesn’t know the answer to that fundamental question I’d say we really need to pause this until we find out.” 

Yet another message said the story contained more holes than “Swiss Cheese.”

Winning a defamation case

The Supreme Court established a very high bar in order to win a defamation suit.

Plaintiffs have to prove the news outlet acted with actual malice in knowingly publishing a false story.

Judge Henry ruled that Young met that threshold after discovery turned up the internal CNN communications showing reporters allegedly targeting Young with a flimsy story.

CNN previously settled a defamation suit with Nicholas Sandmann, the Covington Catholic student CNN smeared as a racist after a left-wing Native American activist confronted Sandmann at the March for Life.

But a settlement isn’t in the cards here.

Young’s lawyer Vel Freedman said the CNN report cost her client as much as $60 million in business.

Corporate entities like Bloomberg partnered with Young who rescued 24 individuals from Afghanistan.

Freeman told Newsbusters that there is “no active settlement discussion” adding that a settlement is “so far off the table.” 

The lawyer also said there was “zero chance this case gets stopped before trial” and that his client aimed to “take CNN to task.”

Freeman told Newsbusters that the uncapped punitive damages could reach a total of $600 million.

All told, that could bring a potential jury award to nearly $1 billion.

The reputation hit to CNN would be even more severe as the network markets itself as “the most trusted name in news.”

But the alleged conduct in this case would blow that slogan out of the water.

“CNN’s internal messages are indicative of a cowboy culture that cares more about clicks than accountability. In fact, CNN promoted the primary reporter on the story after this lawsuit was filed, indicating this kind of journalism is not only tolerated at CNN—it’s rewarded,” an additional statement from Freeman to Newsbusters read.