What To Know About CNN’s Defamation Case and Verdict

Marquardt, Tapper, and senior CNN executives took the stand during the two-week trial, providing a window into their rarely seen newsgathering process courtesy of e-mail and internal messaging systems. In one of Marquardt’s messages presented during the trial, the reporter wrote that he was “going to hit that MF-er Zachary Young.”

When Young took the stand, he said he became disgusted after the CNN story. “I’ve become an outcast, and that’s what I feel like,” he remarked at one point. “And to a large extent, I still do.”

In his final argumentAxelrod advised jurors to use common sense when reviewing the case. “[There is] simply no evidence before you for you to find that CNN has defamed Mr. Young,” he argued.

Freedman, meanwhile, used his closing argument to insinuate that CNN was more interested in theater than truth. He urged the jury to “fix” what is wrong with the news today, saying: “You have the ability to send the message. Please do.”

What was the verdict?

The jury ultimately found CNN liablewith Young to receive $5 million for pain and suffering, lost business opportunities and additional punitive damages. But CNN reached a settlement with him for an undisclosed amount shortly after the verdict was announced.

“We are proud of our reporters and are 100% committed to strong, fearless and fair reporting at CNN,” a CNN spokesperson told TVNewser after the deal. “Although, of course, we will take what useful lessons we can from this case.”

What happens next?

CNN is not the only network with a defamation lawsuit on the docket in 2025. CBS News is muting a deal for his own defamation case brought by the president Donald Trump on the network’s interview with his Democratic rival in the election, former Vice President Kamala Harris. Paramount Global, the parent company of CBS News, is currently seeking regulatory approval for its upcoming merger with Skydance Media.

And Trump’s second administration may lead to more defamation cases against the media, although the president noted that he is still open to working with the press. “I’m not looking for retribution, grandstanding or to destroy people who have treated me very unfairly, or even badly beyond comprehension,” Trump said during a Fox News interview on November 24.

“I’m always looking to give a second or even a third chance,” Trump added. “But never willing to give a fourth chance. That’s where I hold the line.”

How Trump intends to maintain this line is what the press is not sure about going forward.

An additional revelation from the just-concluded trial is the state of CNN’s budget. The network’s net income was cut in half from $600 million to $300 million between 2021 and 2022, an eyebrow-raising drop that was possibly linked to the closings of CNN+ and HLN. CNN’s profits will rebound to more than $400 million in 2023.

CNN Net Income:

2021: 600 million
2022: 300 million
2023: 400 million

These are not numbers that we normally get…

— Jeremy Barr (@jeremymbarr) January 17, 2025