CNN defamation trial: Judge forces CNN’s lead counsel to apologize to plaintiff on the spot in courtroom
Judge William Henry forced CNN’s attorney to apologize to the plaintiff in the high-profile defamation trial on Thursday during a wild morning in Bay County Court.
Judge Henry blasted CNN’s lead counsel, David Axelrod, on Wednesday and ordered him to apologize to plaintiff Zachary Young for repeatedly calling him a "liar." Before jurors entered the room on Thursday, Judge Henry asked Axelrod, who is not the CNN on-air pundit with the same name, if he ever apologized as ordered.
"I have not," Axelrod said.
"Why don’t you do that and I will judge whether it’s an apology… saying, "I’m sorry you were offended by that,’ that’s not an apology," Judge Henry said.
"Mr. Young, I apologize for the statements I made about the Helios contract and what it represented. I said you lied during your deposition. Your deposition testimony was similar to what we saw in the Conway letter and for that I do apologize," Axelrod said.
Judge Henry asked Young if he accepted it.
"No, I don’t," Young responded.
Judge Henry then explained that the Helios contract cited in Axelrod’s apology was an agreement to hold a security clearance, not an agreement to obtain work, so Young was truthful in his deposition despite Axelrod calling him a "liar."
Young, a Navy veteran, alleges CNN smeared him by implying he illegally profited when helping people flee Afghanistan on the "black market" 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 the November 2021 segment.
Judge Henry instructed lead counsel from both sides that they owe $200 apiece from Wednesday’s ordeal after he previously imposed a $100 fine for each time a lawyer makes a personal insult to the other side. The money goes to North Florida Legal Services and the fine has been raised to $1,000 going forward.
Judge Henry was also irked that Axelrod referred to him as "Mr. Henry" in court and told him that he was taking it as a "just a slip" for now.
"Now you’re on notice that if you do it again today, I’m taking it as a direct, deliberate, conscious insult," Judge Henry said.
Axelrod blamed the gaffe on having a "long day" and apologized.
Judge Henry also told Axelrod on Wednesday, "Right now, your credibility with me, Mr. Axelrod, is about none."
When covering Wednesday’s drama, Fox News contributor Jonathan Turley wrote that the judge saying Axelrod had zero credibility with him brought things from "bad to worse" for CNN.
"That is never a good thing to hear from a judge. Axelrod apologized, but the damage is clearly considerable," Turley wrote.
The ongoing trial is being streamed live here.