PANAMA CITY, Fla. – US Navy SEAL Zachary Young is celebrating the “clearance” he received after a jury found CNN defamed him, ending an intense two-week court battle.
“I'm glad it's over,” Young said Fox News Digital in conversation. “It feels good, very, very good.”
After more than eight hours of deliberations, the six-person jury decided that Young should be awarded $4 million in lost wages, $1 million in personal damages such as pain and suffering and that punitive damages are appropriate against CNN. But as the second phase of the trial continues, Young's lawyers and CNN said 14th Judicial Circuit Court Judge William S. Henry they had reached their quarters.
“It's been three long years, and to have the result that we wanted, which was a public prosecution, is an amazing feeling. And I'm glad it's over, and we're not We should spend years and more arguing about the meaning of the word,” said Young.
JURY FINDS CNN FAILED AGAINST NAVY VETERAN, CONTRIBUTION RECEIVED DANGEROUS DAMAGES.
US Navy SEAL Zachary Young spoke to Fox News Digital after his dirty win against CNN. (Joseph A. Wulfsohn/Fox News Digital)
The amount of the payment was not disclosed, but it came after an expert witness suggested that $150 million was enough money to hit CNN.
After a years-long legal battle with CNN, Young tells Fox News Digital that he has no “hate” toward the network.
“I think this was a good outcome for both of us,” Young said. “I can get on with my life now, and I couldn't even imagine what it would look like or feel like for a long time. I'm still wondering what it's going to feel like. ha the dust is settling, but as for the hate on CNN, I have absolutely nothing.
“I hope they will learn something from this experience,” he continued. “I hope they take this as an opportunity to look in the mirror and realize that, you know, there's room for change and improvement, and if that's the effect it has on CNN and maybe others the media can also see that as a good thing.”
CNN settled its defamation lawsuit against Young after the court found that the network defamed him. (John Greim/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Vel Freedman, Mocha's lead counsel in the defamation case against CNN, also encouraged the law's success.
“We were able to clear Zak's name, get a conviction, and resolve the issue so he can avoid a lengthy appeal and get on with his life,” Freedman told Fox News Digital. “So, as a lawyer, that's exactly what you want to do.”
In a statement to Fox News Digital, a CNN spokesperson said, “We remain proud of our reporters and are 100% committed to providing strong, fearless and unbiased reporting on CNN, even as we we will take the important lessons we can get from this case.”
The young man sued CNN for defamation after it published an image linking him to “black markets” during the premiere episode of “The Lead with Jake Tapper”. (CNN/Screenshot)
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A young man sued CNN for defaming him by suggesting he made illegal profits helping people flee Afghanistan's “black market” during The Biden administration Military withdrawal from the country by 2021. Mocha believed that CNN “damaged his reputation and his business” by naming him as an illegal profiteer who preyed on “desperate Afghans” during the part of November 2021.
Young's legal team obtained CNN's damning internal memos by repeatedly discovering employees showing deep hostility toward the Navy. Among those presented in court include one who called him a “s—bag” an “a–hole” who said he had a “punctured face.”
And that was revealed Alex Marquardtthe CNN reporter who was leading the on-air report, told a colleague “we're going to nail Zachary Young mf—er,” a message that was often quoted throughout the trial.
Fox News' Brian Flood and Annie McCuen contributed to this report.