CNN has been found liable for defaming a security consultant featured in a report about the black market to evacuate Afghans during the chaotic U.S. withdrawal.

News network reached a deal with Zachary Young as it was facing potentially tens of millions of dollars in punitive damages.

Zachary Young alleged CNN smeared him by implying he illegally profited when helping people flee Afghanistan on the "black market" during the Biden administration's military withdrawal from the country in 2021.

CNN found liable for $5 million in defamation trial against US Navy veteran over Afghanistan report - The jury awarded Young $5 million in compensatory damages and found that the security contractor should also receive punitive damages for his pain and suffering.

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

CNN settled with a security consultant after a Florida jury found the network had defamed him in a story that suggested he was charging "exorbitant prices" to evacuate people from Afghanistan in 2021.

CNN will have to fork over at least $5 million to a U.S. Navy veteran after it lost a defamation trial in Florida on Friday. A Panama City, Florida, jury ruled that CNN had defamed security contractor Zachary Young when it aired a 2021 report that said he was part of a “black market” that price-gouged those attempting to flee Afghanistan after the U.