Judge in a high-stakes defamation lawsuit against CNN ruled on Tuesday that U.S. Navy veteran Zachary Young "did not act illegally or criminally" despite what the network reported on air.
Young alleges that CNN smeared him and his security consulting company, Nemex Enterprises Inc., by implying it illegally profited when helping people flee Afghanistan during the Biden administration's military withdrawal from the country in 2021. Young believes CNN "destroyed his reputation and business by branding him an illegal profiteer who exploited desperate Afghans" during a Nov. 11, 2021, segment on CNN’s "The Lead with Jake Tapper."
Judge William S. Henry ruled in documents obtained by Fox News Digital that "Young did not act criminally or illegally," and CNN statements about operating in a black market were "of and concerning Young." Judge Henry also said CNN citing Sharia law to defend the notion that Young acted illegally is "a bridge too far."
The CNN segment at the center of the suit, which was shared on social media and also repackaged for CNN's website, began with Tapper informing viewers that CNN correspondent Alex Marquardt discovered "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."
Tapper tossed to Marquardt, who said "desperate Afghans are being exploited" and need to pay "exorbitant, often impossible amounts" to flee the country. Marquardt then singled out Young, putting a picture of his face on the screen
No other people or companies were named other than Young, who alleged that CNN, using the terms "black market," "exploit" and "exorbitant," inaccurately painted him as a bad actor preying on desperate people.
CNN lawyers argued that there are multiple definitions of this term "black market," and Young "did not know if he was operating legally or illegally, and that his actions implicated Taliban or Sharia law violations."
The judge ruled that "Young did not act criminally or illegally," and "to the extent that Defendants argue Taliban or Sharia law may have been violated, this is a bridge too far."
"First, there is nothing in the record to suggest that any Taliban or Sharia law which would restrict the movement of persons (especially women) within or out of Afghanistan was properly enacted, adopted or recognized law to even suggest that evacuating individuals from Afghanistan was a criminal or illegal activity. In fact, the only information contained in the record suggests that formal adoption of any rules restricting travel within or out of Afghanistan did not occur until 2024 – almost three years after the publications in this case," the judge ruled.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/judge-declares-navy-veteran-suing-cnn-for-defamation-did-not-act-criminally-or-illegally/ar-AA1sMEqQ?ocid=entnewsntp&pc=LCTS&cvid=65a32ad120464a919e58702b731c4b67&ei=8#comments
Eventually CNN is going to fold between their horrible viewership levels and the massive lawsuits they are paying out while carrying the democrat's water. The real story here was the Biden Administration's cut and run policy in Afghanistan that left thousands of "American collaborators" to the tender mercies of the Taliban. Not the fictional "evil profiteers" who supposedly made money off the anguish and fears of the people Biden's actions left behind to be tortured and killed.
Young alleges that CNN smeared him and his security consulting company, Nemex Enterprises Inc., by implying it illegally profited when helping people flee Afghanistan during the Biden administration's military withdrawal from the country in 2021. Young believes CNN "destroyed his reputation and business by branding him an illegal profiteer who exploited desperate Afghans" during a Nov. 11, 2021, segment on CNN’s "The Lead with Jake Tapper."
Judge William S. Henry ruled in documents obtained by Fox News Digital that "Young did not act criminally or illegally," and CNN statements about operating in a black market were "of and concerning Young." Judge Henry also said CNN citing Sharia law to defend the notion that Young acted illegally is "a bridge too far."
The CNN segment at the center of the suit, which was shared on social media and also repackaged for CNN's website, began with Tapper informing viewers that CNN correspondent Alex Marquardt discovered "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."
Tapper tossed to Marquardt, who said "desperate Afghans are being exploited" and need to pay "exorbitant, often impossible amounts" to flee the country. Marquardt then singled out Young, putting a picture of his face on the screen
No other people or companies were named other than Young, who alleged that CNN, using the terms "black market," "exploit" and "exorbitant," inaccurately painted him as a bad actor preying on desperate people.
CNN lawyers argued that there are multiple definitions of this term "black market," and Young "did not know if he was operating legally or illegally, and that his actions implicated Taliban or Sharia law violations."
The judge ruled that "Young did not act criminally or illegally," and "to the extent that Defendants argue Taliban or Sharia law may have been violated, this is a bridge too far."
"First, there is nothing in the record to suggest that any Taliban or Sharia law which would restrict the movement of persons (especially women) within or out of Afghanistan was properly enacted, adopted or recognized law to even suggest that evacuating individuals from Afghanistan was a criminal or illegal activity. In fact, the only information contained in the record suggests that formal adoption of any rules restricting travel within or out of Afghanistan did not occur until 2024 – almost three years after the publications in this case," the judge ruled.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/judge-declares-navy-veteran-suing-cnn-for-defamation-did-not-act-criminally-or-illegally/ar-AA1sMEqQ?ocid=entnewsntp&pc=LCTS&cvid=65a32ad120464a919e58702b731c4b67&ei=8#comments
Eventually CNN is going to fold between their horrible viewership levels and the massive lawsuits they are paying out while carrying the democrat's water. The real story here was the Biden Administration's cut and run policy in Afghanistan that left thousands of "American collaborators" to the tender mercies of the Taliban. Not the fictional "evil profiteers" who supposedly made money off the anguish and fears of the people Biden's actions left behind to be tortured and killed.
statistics: Posted by Hockeygoon — 1:31 PM - 1 day ago — Replies 1 — Views 44