Zachary Young’s large -scale slander demand against the Associated Press continues to move to Bay County, Florida, as the U.S. Navy veteran aims to erase his name.
Young successfully succeeded CNN by slander earlier this year after saying that the network affected him, which meant that he illegally benefited people to flee Afghanistan to the “black market” during the disastrous military withdrawal of the Biden 2021 administration.
When he covered the trial in January, Associated Press’s media journalist David Bauder wrote that “Young’s business helped smuggle people in Afghanistan.”
Young’s legal team has said that the article of Associated Press “went even beyond CNN falsehoods” and that the veteran seeks $ 500 million in a lawsuit against AP.
On Monday, Young’s legal team responded to the AP motion to dismiss the demand.
The AP had insisted that Young’s complaint is “without merit” and unfairly challenges the voice -free voice rights, but the navy veteran’s legal team believes that the motion did not address “basic problems”.
“It is not disputed that the term” human smuggling “involves criminal conduct, nor does it offer any valid explanation for its use of this period, although a court ruled that Mr. Young did not commit any crime. The AP’s own style book defines” smuggling “as illegal,” Daniel Lustig, Daniel Lustig, wrote.
“Dozens of AP articles reflect this use. A few days before this presentation, AP published a story about a man sentenced to 25 years in prison for” smuggling people “, strengthening this understanding,” Lustig continued.
“Even after receiving a warning, AP refused to withdraw or review the statement, not even using a more accurate term such as” evacuate “or” rescue. “
Young’s lawyer believes that the most “remarkable” part of the AP’s motion to dismiss is that he never denied that the “smuggling” refers to a criminal act.
“Instead, he argues that the statement, in context, was not defamatory. It is not a defense, but is a concession. According to Florida’s law, if a declaration is reasonably capable of a defamatory meaning, it is a question for the jury, a motion cannot be resolved to dismiss. The AP’s attempt to invoke the anti-flap statement to protect this statement, as well as a legally unbearable statement,”
Young’s legal team has also filed a motion to modify the complaint to include punitive damage.
The presentation of 242 pages suggested that this case “exemplifies the scenario in which punitive damage is justified to punish and deter a consciously indifferent conduct by a media organization”.
On Tuesday, each side appeared for the first hearing against the 14th judge of the judicial circuit William S. Henry, who also chaired the CNN trial.
The Case Management Conference, held by Zoom, was largely procedural and offered an opportunity on each party to explain why the respective movements need to be heard.
Judge Henry scheduled the next July 3 audience. It is expected that the motion of the AP to be rejected to dismiss and the modified complaint of Young.
The AP has referred to demand as “frivolous” in statements past the press.
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