Punitive..

 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.S. military withdrew from the country. 

CNN’s lawyers—and many of its employees—argued it viewed the term as “unregulated” markets, not criminal ones, according to The Washington Post.

The six-person jury awarded $5 million to Young, who claimed the Nov. 2021 CNN report ruined his professional reputation.

The jury also awarded Young punitive damages. CNN subsequently reached a settlement with Young, the trial’s judge confirmed Friday afternoon, averting further legal proceedings to determine the extent of these damages.