A judge ruled Friday that a security company may request punitive damages against , CNN , over a , November 2021 , report about battle plutocrats who charged Afghans who were trying to leave their land after the , U. S.  , military removal.
The company,  , Zachary Young, said , CNN , destroyed his firm by including him in a category by deputy national surveillance correspondent , Alex Marquardt, which focused on how Afghans were being charged higher prices by evacuation services.
The statement used the word “black market” in an on creative and in a spoken advantages. Young, the only brand that was given in the sector, claimed that the report gave the impression that he was engaging in illegal activity and a victim of “desperate Afghans.”
Florida , Judge , William S. Henry , had earlier ruled that Young’s behavior did not violate any rules and that he never took any money directly from Afghans. Young’s organization sought corporate partners to pay for support in leaving , Afghanistan.
According to Henry,” Enough evidence exists on which a fair jury could clearly determine that the defendant acted with actual malice.”
If the case goes to trial, a jury may be asked to determine if , CNN , editors acted with true hatred, defined as the release of false information with foolish disregard of the facts.
A , CNN , representative declined comment on the case.
Marquardt’s story, which first aired on” The Lead With , Jake Tapper”, reported that” Afghans trying to get out of the country face a black market full of promises, demands of exorbitant fees, and no guarantee of safety or success”.
CNN , removed the term “black market” from the web version of the report after Young complained, and the network issued an on-air apology on , March 25, 2022, clarifying that he was not involved in illegal activity. Young claimed that the network was unable to complete the story’s retractation.
A two-week jury trial has been scheduled for , Jan. 6. If it goes forward,  , CNN’s , journalists and producers will have to give public testimony on the internal workings in the news organization, some of it potentially embarrassing.
Evidence in the case includes text messages from , CNN , journalists describing Young as a” s—bag” and” a—”. We gonna nail this Young mf— was also mentioned in a text.
Editors also send emails asking whether the story was prepared for publication. ( The segment got approved after going through the network’s vetting process ).
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