CNN/Afghanistan defamation suit

A highly anticipated ruling by the Florida Supreme Court late last week all but ensured the defamation suit filed by Navy veteran Zachary Young against the Associated Press would get revived on appeal. And just days after telling Florida’s First District Court of Appeal to…

For those following NewsBusters’ coverage of the defamation cases brought against CNN (successful) and the Associated Press (on-going) by Navy veteran Zachary Young, one name should be familiar: Charles D. Tobin. A lawyer with Ballard Spahr, Tobin was part of the legal team that represented CNN and then the AP. As with the nature of defamation cases, both hinged on words and their…

In a hearing for the defamation case of Zachary Young v. The Associated Press on Tuesday, the AP’s lawyer argued to a panel of three judges for Florida’s First District Court of Appeal that the news organization’s own stylebook didn’t matter when determining the definition of a key word in their allegedly defamatory reporting. However, the AP Stylebook was the go-to standard for many…

On Friday, Florida’s First District Court of Appeals agreed to hear oral arguments in Navy veteran Zackary Young’s two defamation cases against The Associated Press and Puck News. The hearing comes after Judge William Scott Henry of Florida’s 14th Judicial Circuit threw out both cases back in August 2025. Now, there were positive signs for Young that the First DCA could breathe new life into…

As NewsBusters was first to report last November, Navy veteran Zachary Young filed an appeal for his $453 million defamation suit against the Associated Press. Three months later and both sides have submitted their arguments to Florida’s First District Court of Appeals as they await a date for their oral arguments.

In addition to putting his life into print via his to-be-released memoir American Spy later this year, Navy veteran Zachary Young, the man who took CNN to court for malicious defamation and won, was looking to adapt his story into a serialized television show.

Releasing in 2026, American Spy will be the  memoir of Navy veteran Zachary Young, the man who took CNN to court for malicious defamation and won. The book, published by Harper Collins, was co-written by American Sniper author Scott McEwen and will follow Young through his recruitment and exploits “operating in the hidden world of international espionage,” according to press…

After the case was thrown out in August, on Monday, Navy veteran Zachary Young filed an appeal of his defamation suit against Puck News. In addition to wanting Florida’s First District Court of Appeals to allow the case to proceed, Young also requested they order a new judge be assigned to preside over the case; pointing to Judge William Scott Henry’s comments about the merits of the case.…

On Thanksgiving, Navy veteran Zachary Young filed an appeal for his $453 million defamation suit against the Associated Press. In addition to wanting Florida’s First District Court of Appeals to allow the case to proceed, Young also requested they order a new judge be assigned to preside over the case; pointing to Judge William Scott Henry’s comments about the merits of the case when he threw…

As NewsBusters was first to report back in August, Judge William Scott Henry of Florida’s 14th Judicial Circuit ruled against Navy veteran Zachary Young and granted two motions to dismiss on a pair of defamation suits against The Associated Press and Puck News. While Young’s appeals made their way through the legal system, the AP filed a motion requesting the court have Young fork up $239,545.…

After waiting more than month for a decision, Judge William Scott Henry of Florida’s 14th Judicial Circuit granted two motions to dismiss on a pair of defamation suits against The Associated Press and Puck News. The cases were brought by Navy veteran Zachary Young in the wake of his successful defamation case brought against CNN in the same court and before the same judge.

One of the things all news websites have in common is bylines, this NewsBusters piece even has one. It’s how news outlets let you know who wrote a particular article; it could have one or multiple authors and/or contributors. But during a defamation hearing against The Associated Press on Thursday, their lawyer argued that punitive damages couldn't be sought because there were no records of…

Since 2016, the ends had justified the means in the liberal media’s total war against President Trump and as they flaunted their false moral superiority as the sole defenders of democracy and the world. Drunk on their delusions of grandeur and thinking they were protected from defamation claims by New York Times v Sullivan, the liberal media would viciously lash out against anyone…

On Tuesday, the Bay County, Florida courthouse hosted the first hearing of Zachary Young v Puck News, one of the many defamation cases brought by the Navy veteran in the fallout of his successful defamation trial against CNN. A major motion was on the docket as Judge William Henry had to weigh the evidence in Puck’s motion to dismiss the case, and for the parties to move forward with…