The Associated Press set up a motion to refute the lawsuit of Navy Veteran Zachary Young on Monday, insisting that the complaint is “without merit” and unjustly challenges the rights of free exit speech.
Young sued CNN successfully for defamation earlier this year after saying that the network issued it, implying that he illegally benefited when he helped people leave Afghanistan in the “black market” during the military withdrawal of Biden administration in 2021.
When covering the trial in January, the Associated Press media reporter David Bauder wrote that “Young business helped smuggle people from Afghanistan”.
Young’s legal team has said that the Associated Press article “went even further than CNN’s lies”, and updated the original complaint to include 40 AP items using the term “smuggling” to describe criminal behavior.
The court previously ruled that Young did nothing illegal, and he is demanding nearly $ 500 million in a defamation lawsuit against AP.
AP believes Young’s lawsuit should be cast.
“I have been promising the invisible claim on his face that AP made the same charge – that the young man was engaged in criminal activities regarding his Afghan evacuations – that the article made it clear that a jury had refused in the CNN case,” the AP legal team wrote to dismiss.
“AP now asks the court to dismiss this lawsuit with prejudice under the Statute of Antisplapp in Florida … which protect” the rights of free speech regarding public affairs “,” the motion continued.
“This is a classic SLAPP lawsuit – a lawsuit I miss[s] Legal merit but threatens to calm the speech by imposing printed legal expenses. ‘”
The AP believes that its reporting is protected by the privilege of the Florida Fair report, which its legal team wrote “Protects the press of the press to report legal and other official procedures.”
Moreover, the AP’s legal team wrote that the article “cannot be read reasonably as a conveyance of anything defamatory” for young people or his company, Nemex enterprises.
Young’s lawyer, Daniel Lustig, said the motion to rest was expected, and he expects the Navy veteran to prevail.
“AP’S POSITION IS THAT WORDS DON’T MEAN WHAT THE MEAN. THAT WAS CNN’S DEFENSE. ZACHARY YOUNG NEARLY THREE YEARS FIGHTING THAT FICTION AND AFTER A COURED RULED IN HIS AND A JURY AFFIRMED IT, The Matter Should. Facing the Same Defense, Advanced by the Same Lawyers, Insisting Once Again That A Plainly Crriminal Accusation Doesn’t Actually Accuse Him of a Crime, “Lustig Told Fox News News
“If this feels known, it is because it is. The only thing that is changed is the logo in the letter letter. Ap called Mr. Young a human smuggler, transmitted it all over the world, and now pretend that they said it in a beautiful way. When he asked them to correct a single word, they rejected,” he continued.
AP has referred to the lawsuit as “non -serious” in statements past the press.
The motion was presented to the 14th court of the Bay County District, Florida, the same court where young people dominated CNN.
Young is demanding at least $ 18 million in economic loss, $ 50-75 million to the detriment of the reputation, $ 5-10 million in emotional concerns and $ 300-350 million in penalty damage, according to a report.
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