Judge Orders CNN Lead Counsel To Apologize To US Navy Vet
In a recent defamation trial against CNN,U.S. Navy veteran zachary young was repeatedly labeled a “liar” by CNN’s lead counsel, david axelrod. The judge, William henry, intervened, ordering Axelrod to apologize for his remarks. Young claimed he suffered job loss due to a CNN report that accused him of exploiting afghans on a “black market,” a term he argued harmed his reputation. Despite Axelrod’s claims that Young had lied about his employment prospects due to retaining a security clearance, it was later revealed that Young had actually lost that clearance in 2022. When the judge asked about the apology, Axelrod initially stated he had not yet apologized, leading the judge to insist he do so in court to determine its sincerity.
CNN’s lead counsel was forced to apologize to U.S. Navy veteran Zachary Young on Thursday morning for repeatedly calling him a liar during the defamation trial against the outlet.
Judge William Henry ordered CNN’s lead counsel, David Axelrod, on Wednesday to apologize to Young for calling him a “liar” throughout the trial. Axelrod argued Young had maintained a security clearance after CNN released a report that allegedly falsely accused Young of exploiting Afghans seeking evacuation from Afghanistan on a “black market.” Young testified that he lost work as a result of the allegedly defamatory report due to the use of the term “black market.” Jurors were shown a defense contract that Young had that expressly prohibited involvement in “black markets.”
But Axelrod argued that Young must have lied about being able to obtain work in the subsequent months since he had a security clearance. But Young’s counsel informed the court that Young recently just learned that he actually lost his security clearance in 2022.
When asked Thursday morning whether an apology had been given to Young, Axelrod said he had “not” apologized.
“Why don’t you do that and I will judge whether it’s an apology,” Henry told Axelrod. “Saying ‘I’m sorry you were offended by that,’ that’s not an apology.”
“Mr. Young, I apologize for the statements I made about the Helios contract and what it represented,” Axelrod said to Young. “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.”
But Young said he did not accept the apology.
Jurors are set to begin deliberations Thursday.
Young previously testified that his life has been “wrecked” by the CNN report and that he has not worked since the broadcast in November of 2021.
“I’m not the same man that I was,” Young testified. “I’m not the same person wife married. I’m humiliated about that.”
Young testified he has since been put on “multiple medications” for depression and panic attacks and that he doesn’t know what the future holds without being able to earn a living.
“I try to tell myself it’s going to be okay, too. Maybe in three or four years, everything changes, and I wake up from this thing that was a bad nightmare — I don’t believe myself,” Young said.
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