CNN settled a lawsuit from a U.S. Navy veteran after a jury found the network guilty of defamation, putting the network on the hook for $5 million. 

Details of the settlement weren’t made public on Friday and came just hours after a Florida jury sided with Zachary Young, the veteran who brought the lawsuit for a segment that CNN ran on “The Lead With Jake Tapper.” 

The story at the center of the lawsuit was about people paid to rescue endangered Afghans following the Taliban takeover of the country in 2021.

Mr. Young blamed CNN for destroying his business when it ran the story with his face on-screen that depicted a “black market” smuggling Afghans out of their country for exorbitant fees.

Mr. Young sued CNN in 2022 and blamed the network for ruining his reputation.

He contended that his business targeted people who could pay to help Afghans get out of the country and didn’t go after individual Afghans with charges as much as $10,000 for the service. 

“I know Zach feels heard in a way that he hasn’t felt for over three years,” Devin Freedman, Mr. Young’s lawyer, said after the verdict.

CNN agreed it was wrong to use the phrase “black market,” but argued its reporting on Mr. Young was accurate. 

“We remain proud of our journalists and are 100% committed to strong, fearless and fair-minded reporting at CNN, though we will of course take what useful lessons we can from this case,” a CNN spokesperson said in a statement.

• Alex Miller can be reached at amiller@washingtontimes.com.