The lawsuit, filed on June 12 in Florida, accuses the network of falsely labeling him an "illegal profiteer" and a participant in a "black market" that exploited "desperate Afghans" by charging them "exorbitant" fees they could not afford.
According to the Daily Caller, the defamation claim stems from a segment aired on November 11, 2021, on "The Lead with Jake Tapper." The segment, which focused on Afghans' attempts to escape their homeland through private evacuation operators like Young, reportedly singled him out as the only private evacuator profiled. Young argues that this portrayal has caused him significant harm.
June 25, 2024
The segment, introduced by Tapper and reported by Alex Marquardt, painted a grim picture of Afghans being exploited with high fees as they sought to flee their country. The on-screen chyron accused the operations of being black markets, with Young's name and picture displayed prominently. The chyron read, "CNN Investigation: Afghans trying to flee Taliban face black markets, exorbitant fees, no guarantee of safety or success," as stated in the lawsuit.
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Tapper's on-air remarks, as quoted in the lawsuit, underscored the dire situation: "In our world today, the U.S. government, the Biden administration says that as of last week it had assisted in the departure of at least 377 U.S. citizens and 279 lawful permanent residents of the U.S. from Afghanistan since August 31st. Still, many Afghans, Afghans who desperately want to flee Taliban rule and Afghans who say their lives are at stake, they remain behind. As CNN’s Alex Marquardt has 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."
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The lawsuit further alleges that Young gained access to internal communications between CNN employees, where they used derogatory language to refer to him, including "shitbag" and "asshole," and threatened to "nail this Zachary Young mfucker." Marquardt, who filmed the segment, allegedly referred to Young as "fucking Young" and warned, "it’s your funeral bucko."
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Young's lawsuit also claims that he reviewed messages in which the network expressed concern about the story being "a mess," consisting of 80 percent "emotion" and 20 percent "obscured facts" and "full of holes like Swiss cheese." Despite Young's alleged warning to Marquardt about significant inaccuracies in the reporting just hours before publication, the network proceeded to publish the story.
