Last month, CNN came to a settlement in a defamation trial with security contractor Zachary Young. It appears as if that was a win for the network.
Young had sued the network for claiming he was part of a black market helping refugees flee Afghanistan. After deliberations, the two sides came to an agreement to dismiss the case in exchange for the settlement.
According to the jury foreperson, they were prepared to award Young much more than that should it have been determined by the jury.
“The message the jury wanted to send was to not only CNN but to all media that the general public is fed up with fake news and partial truths,” Katy Svitenko told Variety. “Reporting must be unbiased, true, and complete.”
The eight-day high-profile trial rose in prominence throughout its duration as deposition made by the network’s stars and its high-level executives became public.
Five of the six jurors agreed from the beginning of the trial that CNN was liable for damages related to defamation. $5 million was awarded in compensatory damages from the juror before deciding on punitive damages. Before deliberating on punitive damages, CNN and Young had announced they had reached a settlement.
Svitenko said the juror was prepared to award millions more than Young settled for.
“However, my personal opinion is that it could have been up to $100 million,” she said. “It had to be high enough to actually punish CNN and to get the attention of other media outlets as well.”
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