CNN correspondent Alex Marquardt defended his story on Zachary Young, a security consultant who charged $14,000 or more to evacuate people from Afghanistan.

A jury in Florida on Friday found that CNN defamed a Navy veteran with a report on his business that aired in 2021 and awarded him $5 million damages. The plaintiff, Zachary Young, sued the network saying it harmed his business by including him in a 2021 segment about contractors who the report suggested

Zachary Young argued that CNN defamed him by implying he illegally profited while helping people flee Afghanistan.

Zachary Young alleged CNN defamed him in a report by chief security correspondent Alex Marquardt that said he operated in a "black market."