U.S. Navy veteran Zachary Young, who successfully sued CNN for defamation earlier this year, has filed a defamation lawsuit against the Associated Press.
The lawsuit filed on Friday, focuses on an article published by the AP “that went even further than CNN’s falsehoods.”
AP media reporter David Bauder wrote that “Young’s business helped smuggle people out of Afghanistan” when covering the CNN trial in a January 2025 article.
In the court filing obtained by Fox News Digital, Young’s lawyer, Daniel Lustig, wrote that the “AP blatantly accused Mr. Young of engaging in criminal human smuggling.”
“In its article, AP published the defamatory statement, with actual malice, that Mr. Young’s business ‘helped smuggle people out of Afghanistan.’ This statement is categorically false. At the time of publication, AP knew or recklessly disregarded that a Florida court had already ruled Plaintiff committed no crime in connection with the Afghanistan evacuations. Mr. Young never smuggled anyone,” Young’s attorney wrote in the lawsuit.
“Describing Mr. Young’s lifesaving evacuations as ‘smuggling’ is not only grossly misleading, it charges Mr. Young with a serious crime. Human smuggling is a grave felony under U.S. law and it is condemned as a serious crime under international law,” the suit continues. “By accusing Mr. Young of human smuggling, AP effectively branded him a criminal.”
The lawsuit claims that the AP has used the term “smuggling” in dozens of prior articles to “describe plainly criminal conduct such as human trafficking, drug operations, and transnational crime.”
“AP’s decision to apply the same criminal label to Plaintiff — despite his lawful and court-vindicated actions — demonstrates knowledge of falsity or a reckless disregard for the truth. AP knew exactly what the phrase and word ‘smuggling’ meant,” Young’s attorney wrote.
“AP has not issued any retraction or correction. Its false accusation continues to spread worldwide via the AP network, devastating Mr. Young’s reputation and injuring Plaintiffs’ business,” the suit continues. “Having already fought to clear his name once, Mr. Young is now forced to sue another major media outlet.”
Young believes the AP acted with actual malice and is seeking “damages in excess of $50,000.00, exclusive of interest, costs and attorneys’ fees,” according to the filing.
Young is expected to amend the lawsuit to add punitive damages.
“The Associated Press didn’t just repeat CNN’s lie — they escalated it. After a jury found CNN liable for defamation and punitive damages. AP doubled down and falsely branded Mr. Young a criminal,” Lustig, a partner at Pike & Lustig, told Fox News Digital.
Michael Pike, also a partner at Pike & Lustig, added: “AP knew the truth. They ignored it. Now they’ll face the same courtroom and the same plaintiff who already proved the media can be held accountable.”
Last month, Young filed a similar lawsuit against Puck News for alleged “republication of CNN’s defamatory lies.” The complaint against Puck was amended to add punitive damages on Thursday.
A Florida jury found CNN liable for defaming Navy veteran Zachary Young in January, and awarded him a total of $5 million in addition to finding that punitive damages were warranted against the network. (RELATED: Navy Veteran Awarded Millions In CNN Defamation Lawsuit)
Young accused CNN of intentionally smearing his security consulting company, Nemex Enterprises Inc., by implying it illegally profited when helping people flee Afghanistan during the Biden administration’s chaotic military withdrawal during a 2021 segment.
Atlanta, USA – October 19, 2011: Located in downtown Atlanta, Georgia next to Centennial Olympic Park, the CNN Center is the world headquarters of the Cable News Network (CNN). The building houses several newsrooms and studios for CNN’s news channels along with this large CNN logo.
The CNN segment at the center of the suit began with Jake Tapper informing viewers that CNN correspondent Alex Marquardt discovered “Afghans trying to get out of the country face a black market full of promises, demands of exorbitant fees, and no guarantee of safety or success.”
No other people or companies were named other than Young, who alleged that CNN, using the terms “black market,” “exploit” and “exorbitant,” inaccurately painted him as a bad actor preying on desperate people.
