CNN reaches $5m defamation settlement with US Navy veteran

The CNN report, broadcast on the network’s The Lead with Jake Tapper show, said “desperate Afghans” were being “exploited” and faced “demands for exorbitant fees.

At trial, several internal messages were entered into evidence, including CNN employees talking about Mr Young in derogatory terms as well as other journalists who expressed reservations about the report.

Mr Young denied any exploitation and said Nemex’s fees were paid for by corporations and charities who were willing to support at-risk Afghans being removed from the country after the chaotic US military withdrawal.

He said he did not charge Afghans themselves and specifically discouraged individuals from contacting his firm.

Although CNN issued a partial apology in March 2022 and said it regretted using the term “black market”, the network said it stood by its reporting.

It said in a statement on Friday: “We remain proud of our journalists and are 100% committed to strong, fearless and fair-minded reporting at CNN, though we will of course take what useful lessons we can from this case.”

Defamation cases are rare under US free-speech law, however in court filings Young argued that CNN gave him only two hours to respond to questions, and failed to perform basic checks.

“From the very beginning, it wasn’t about money, it was about holding [CNN] accountable and exposing what they did to me,” Young told the BBC by phone on Friday. “I’ve been vindicated.”

He said his firm rescued 23 people – including a baby – in the aftermath of the US withdrawal, but since the CNN report, his business has dried up.

“I’m hoping that might change after today,” he said.

A separate hearing had been scheduled to determine punitive damages – payouts designed to punish as a warning against future behaviour.

However, after the verdict, the two sides reached a settlement for an undisclosed amount of punitive damages.