A Florida jury on Friday found CNN guilty of defaming a U.S. Navy veteran and security contractor with a 2021 story about the costs of evacuating Afghans after the Taliban took control of their country.

The jury ruled in favor of Zachary Young, who said his reputation and business were destroyed when the network showed his face onscreen during a segment about a black market of smugglers who were helping Afghans flee the country for high fees in the months after the U.S. withdrawal.

Jurors awarded Young $5 million for lost business opportunities and pain and suffering after 8.5 hours of deliberation across two days. The jury will now decide how much the network must pay in punitive damages. Lawyers for each party will have an opportunity to present additional evidence as the jury works to determine punitive damages.

Young successfully argued CNN “destroyed his reputation and business” by effectively portraying him as an “illegal profiteer” who exploited “desperate Afghans,” when in fact his business targeted sponsors who could afford to pay on behalf of the fleeing Afghans, rather than individuals who were fleeing themselves.

Young testified in the two-week trial that there was a “a very immediate and devastating impact on [his] life” after the story aired.  His attorneys argued CNN had basically accused him of criminal activity when they put a graphic on the screen referring to “black markets” next to Young’s face and messages. 

Circuit Court judge William S. Henry previously ruled that Young “did not act illegally or criminally.”

CNN had acknowledged that it erred in its use of the phrase “black market” during the November 11, 2021, segment on The Lead with Jake Tapper, but unsuccessfully argued its reporting on Young was accurate nonetheless. 

CNN chief national security correspondent Alexander Marquardt testified earlier this week that he did not produce a “hit piece” on the Navy veteran. He and others with the network argued they had carefully produced, edited and published the story.

In the segment, Marquardt said “desperate Afghans are being exploited” and need to pay “exorbitant, often impossible amounts” to leave the country. The story mentions only Young’s company, explaining his business was asking $75,000 to transport a vehicle of passengers to Pakistan or $14,500 per person to end up in the United Arab Emirates.

“Prices well beyond the reach of most Afghans,” Marquardt said before allegedly attempting to call Young.

“In a text message, he told CNN that Afghans trying to leave are expected to have sponsors pay for them,” Marquardt said, adding that Young “repeatedly declined to break down the cost or say if he’s making money.”

The Panama City jury found CNN guilty of per se defamation, ruling that the network’s report was materially false and was carried out with negligence and caused Young actual damages. 

“I know [Young] feels heard in a way that he hasn’t felt for over three years, since the segment was played,” he said. “I can’t tell you how much that means to both [Young] and to our team,” said Young’s attorney, Joseph Delich, after the ruling.