Navy veteran who proved CNN defamed him files another lawsuit, alleges Puck republished ‘defamatory lies’
U.S. Navy veteran Zachary Young, who successfully sued CNN for defamation earlier this year, filed a lawsuit on Friday against Puck for alleged "republication of CNN’s defamatory lies."
Young successfully alleged that 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. In January, a six-person jury ruled Young was awarded $4 million in lost earnings, $1 million in personal damages such as pain and suffering and said that punitive damages were warranted against CNN. A settlement was reached before punitive damages were decided by the jury.
While the CNN trial is in the rearview, Young is not finished attempting to clear his name.
"A year into his CNN lawsuit, during which he was under constant attack by CNN’s high-powered lawyers, he reached out to Puck News—which had a reputation for covering media-related lawsuits—to offer them his side of the story," Young’s attorney wrote in the lawsuit.
"Initially, Puck News ignored him. But another year later, when Mr. Young’s court victories gathered wider media attention, Puck’s so-called ‘entertainment law expert,’ Eriq Gardner, wrote an article about the lawsuit," the complaint continued. "Rather than contact Mr. Young and write a fair account of the case, he chose to repeat and spread the false claims of CNN, telling Puck’s tens of thousands of readers that Mr. Young and his company were charging the ‘panicked locals . . . hefty fees—sometimes tens of thousands of dollars—to escape the Taliban.’"
In September, Puck News published a story by Gardner headlined, "Netflix on Trial & CNN’s Financial Colonoscopy" that detailed a discovery request that required CNN to hand over sensitive financial documents to comply with a pre-trial ruling.
"Why the deep dive into CNN’s finances? It goes back to a November 11, 2021, segment on The Lead with Jake Tapper, when reporter Alex Marquardt detailed how, following President Joe Biden’s withdrawal from Afghanistan and the collapse of the government, panicked locals turned to private contractors to help them flee the country. One such contractor was Zachary Young, a Navy veteran whose firm was charging people hefty fees—sometimes tens of thousands of dollars—to escape the Taliban," Gardner wrote.
Young believes Puck News "committed the same indefensible error" that CNN was found to have committed.
"Puck’s malicious repetition of this false claim—which it has not bothered to retract or even correct after Mr. Young sent them a demand letter—continues to devastate his reputation and income, punishing him once again for his work that saved lives. Mr. Young, who should be spending his time with family and friends, and rebuilding his security consulting business, is now forced to sue yet another large media entity to defend his good name and hold Puck accountable," the complaint states.
Young is seeking the same venue for his lawsuit against Puck as he had with CNN: Bay County, Florida. In the filing, Young’s attorney noted that Gardner referred to the area as "one of Florida’s deepest-red outposts" when suggesting it was a poor venue for CNN. The filing also suggests Gardner "clearly" adopted "CNN’s characterization of events" in his reporting.
JURY FINDS CNN COMMITTED DEFAMATION AGAINST NAVY VETERAN, SETTLEMENT REACHED ON PUNITIVE DAMAGES
"Gardner was entirely aware of the facts of the case and knew that Mr. Young never charged any Afghan ‘to escape the Taliban.’ Mr. Young contracted with large corporate sponsors, not individuals," the lawsuit says, which goes on to allege Gardner's article used the same language as in CNN's report.
Young’s attorney called Puck’s reporting a "republication of CNN’s defamatory lies" and stated that "another national news outlet had painted him as an exploitative opportunist who was preying on vulnerable Afghans."
"Mr. Young’s activities were fully legal, and he never demanded or accepted money from, or exploited Afghans," the suit continues. "This is not reasonably disputed, and this Court granted Mr. Young summary judgment on this in the CNN case."
Puck stands by its reporting.
"Puck stands behind our reporting and we are confident the facts will hold up to any scrutiny," a Puck spokesperson told Fox News Digital.
Young is seeking "compensatory, special, and punitive damages, as well as disgorgement of any and all income Puck has made off of its lies" and is requesting a trial by jury.
14th Judicial Circuit Court Judge William S. Henry, who oversaw the CNN trial, was assigned to the lawsuit.