Plaintiff in CNN defamation trial celebrates ‘vindication’

PANAMA CITY, Fla. – U.S. Navy veteran Zachary Young is celebrating the “vindication” he received after a jury found that CNN had defamed him, concluding the intense two-week court battle.

“I’m glad it’s over,” Young told Fox News Digital in an interview. “Feeling very, very, very good.”

After more than eight hours of deliberation, the six-person jury ruled Young was to be awarded $4 million in lost earnings, $1 million in personal damages such as pain and suffering and said that punitive damages are warranted against CNN. But as the second phase of the trial was underway, lawyers for both Young and CNN told 14th Judicial Circuit Court Judge William S. Henry they had reached a settlement.

“It’s been a long three years, and to have the outcome that we wanted, which was vindication publicly, is an incredible feeling. And I’m glad that it’s over, and we don’t have to spend more years and more time arguing about the meaning of a word,” Young said.