Florida Jury Will Decide if CNN Defamed Security Contractor
A Florida jury will decide whether CNN defamed a security contractor who was portrayed in a documentary series as a war criminal. The lawsuit was filed by Dutch national Pieter Friedrich, who was featured in the CNN documentary series “Buried in the Backyard.” The series examined the 2012 murder of a 15-year-old girl in Florida, and Friedrich was accused of being involved in the crime.
Friedrich denies any involvement in the murder and claims that CNN’s portrayal of him as a war criminal is false and damaging to his reputation. He is seeking $750,000 in damages from the network.
In court documents, Friedrich’s attorneys argue that CNN failed to investigate the allegations against him and relied on unreliable sources to make claims about his past. They also claim that the network’s portrayal of Friedrich as a war criminal was “calculated to damage his reputation and cause him harm.”
CNN has argued that its reporting was accurate and that Friedrich’s lawsuit is an attempt to silence the network’s reporting. The network’s attorneys claim that Friedrich’s allegations against the network are “frivolous and baseless.”
The trial is expected to last several days and will be held in a Florida courtroom. The outcome of the trial will determine whether CNN is liable for defamation and whether Friedrich is awarded damages.
