A former special operator who rescued refugees from Afghanistan as it fell to the Taliban in 2021 and whose business was destroyed by a CNN story he says was false and defamatory, won a significant procedural victory in a Florida court in his libel lawsuit against the network.
In an order allowing Zachary Young to sue for punitive damages, Judge William S. Henry in Bay County quoted startling language from CNN employees’ internal emails and texts regarding the story that aired on Nov. 11, 2021.
Mr. Young, a security consultant with extensive military and government security experience, launched an effort to rescue at-risk people, primarily foreign companies or agencies’ employees and family members.
Two of his clients were Audible, the audiobook company, and financial news giant Bloomberg. Another was a German firm that subcontracted for humanitarian missions; and an organization helping Afghan Christians.
CNN’s story falsely portrayed him as extorting money from desperate people and not necessarily delivering them to safety, he said in his lawsuit.
His business, which he said relied on his reputation and discretion, dried up immediately.
Mr. Young said he was only given two hours to respond before the story was set to air.
He said he told CNN’s reporter the report was inaccurate and that he needed more time to respond to it. The network ran the story anyway.
“And while this court can force CNN to remedy the monetary damage it caused Young,” the amended complaint stated, “CNN can never remedy the fact that they sacrificed actual human lives for the sake of ratings.
“CNN painted a caricature of Young as a fly-by-night extortionist, but Young is a highly trained and effective security professional. He was unquestionably qualified to extract civilians from Afghanistan, and before CNN’s slander, he saved dozens of lives.
“CNN’s defamation, however, has rendered Young unable to provide these rare and vital services, and there just aren’t many other options out there. CNN’s vicious and self-righteous slander removed Young from the equation and condemned an unknowable number of Afghans to death,” the complaint continued.
