Ahead of a high-stakes defamation trial, CNN is being accused of misleading the court by withholding financial information regarding its net worth. U.S. Navy veteran Zachary Young, the plaintiff, is suing the network for defamatory comments made on a November 2021 segment of “The Lead with Jake Tapper.” Young’s security consulting company, Nemex Enterprises Inc., was falsely implied to have profited illegally from helping people flee Afghanistan during the Biden administration’s military withdrawal.
Young’s legal team has obtained documents that reveal CNN never intended to produce financial information showing assets and liabilities, as previously claimed. The network allegedly disclaimed the net worth of its parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery, stating that its financial condition cannot be separated from its parent company’s. As a result, the court has been presented with incomplete and inaccurate information.
The legal team is now requesting that the court enter an order requiring Warner Bros. Discovery’s financial statements to be used to determine a potential punitive damages award and preclude CNN from introducing any evidence or argument based on its net worth. The trial is scheduled to begin on January 6, 2025.
In the critical segment, CNN correspondent Alex Marquardt discussed “experts” who claimed that Afghans were being exploited by security companies like Nemex Enterprises. Young’s image was displayed on the screen, and Marquardt stated that his company was asking for exorbitant fees to transport passengers out of the country. The segment was widely shared on social media and repackaged for CNN’s website.
Young alleges that the segment “destroyed his reputation and business” by branding him an illegal profiteer who exploited desperate Afghans. The First District Court of Appeal for the State of Florida has ruled that Young has presented evidence of actual malice, express malice, and a level of conduct outrageous enough to warrant a trial.
