A Florida judge has dealt several blows to CNN in a defamation lawsuit filed by U.S. Navy veteran Zachary Young, paving the way for a trial set to begin next month. Young accuses CNN of falsely portraying him as an illegal profiteer during the 2021 Afghanistan withdrawal. The lawsuit centers around a segment aired on Jake Tapper's "The Lead," which Young claims severely damaged his reputation and business.

Judge William Henry denied CNN's motion for summary judgment, enabling Young to pursue punitive damages and explicitly stating the court found Young "did not take money from Afghans." The judge criticized CNN for using the term "black market" in its reporting, despite acknowledging a lack of evidence of any illegal activity by Young. He noted that CNN, despite conducting extensive newsgathering, admitted to having no proof of criminal wrongdoing by Young.

The judge's ruling highlighted CNN's shifting definition of "black market" throughout the litigation and its potential to imply illegality. He also dismissed CNN's argument that Young violated Taliban Sharia law, drawing a sharp comparison to Nazi atrocities. While Young initially contacted CNN reporter Katie Bo Lillis, the judge found this didn't constitute "thrusting himself" into the media spotlight. He suggested CNN reporters, including correspondent Alex Marquardt, had a pre-determined narrative and used Young as a "fall guy" despite lacking evidence of wrongdoing.

The judge found sufficient evidence of actual malice by CNN and affirmed Young never accepted money from Afghans. The trial is scheduled to commence on January 6th in Bay County, Florida. Although Judge Henry ruled against including Young's company, Nemex Enterprises, Inc., in the damages claim, the ruling largely favors Young and sets the stage for a potentially damaging legal battle for CNN.