A Florida jury found CNN defamed a security consultant in a story that suggested he was charging "exorbitant prices" to evacuate people trying to flee Afghanistan after the U.S. withdrawal in 2021.

A Florida jury found CNN liable on Friday in a high-stakes defamation trial against U.S. Navy veteran Zachary Young, who alleged that the network maligned him as an “illegal profiteer” with a report on Afghan evacuees being charged thousands of dollars to flee the country following the U.

CNN's Alexander Marquardt took the stand in a defamation trial Monday, defending a 2021 report during the U.S.'s Afghanistan withdrawal.

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 Florida jury began deliberations this afternoon in a security consultant’s defamation lawsuit against CNN. Zachary Young sued the network following a report in 2021 that he sought exorbitant fees to evacuate Afghans in what amounted to a black market in the chaotic U.

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

Attorney Devin Freedman presents closing arguments on behalf of his client, Zachary Young, in a defamation case against CNN. (Jessica Costescu/ Washington Free Beacon) PANAMA CITY, Fla. (CN) — A Florida jury of six began deliberations Thursday afternoon and will soon decide if CNN defamed Zachary Young,