Try Not to Laugh at Lawyer's Argument Against CNN Having to Pay Punitive Damages in Defamation Suit

Doug P. | 2:00 PM on January 17, 2025

As we told you earlier, a jury has found CNN liable for defamation against Zachary Young. The jury agreed that CNN lied about Young's efforts to rescue people in Afghanistan.

Young has already been awarded $5 million in compensatory damages and there could be more to come:

The Florida jury just ruled against CNN for $5 million in compensatory damages for defamation. It will now decide how much to award in punitive damages. CNN undermined its case at every turn -- alienating both the judge and the jury... https://t.co/OlS064aIac
— Jonathan Turley (@JonathanTurley) January 17, 2025

Jury now deciding punitive damages. CNN attorney tells jurors the network's finances aren't so good... https://t.co/4rtgKjEvuW
— Byron York (@ByronYork) January 17, 2025

CNN's already out $5 million, and the cable net's lawyer is arguing against punitive damages for the following reason:

CNN's lawyer argues against the network being hit with punitive damages (after it was found liable for defaming Navy veteran Zachary Young) by saying it'd harm the company financially and hinder its ability to report on major breaking news events like wildfires and crises around… pic.twitter.com/TjEEb8ZN8D
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) January 17, 2025

We translated that to mean "if you make my client pay millions in damages it could hinder CNN's ability to lie about other things" and it might have made some of the jurors laugh out loud.