'Actual malice': CNN facing major lawsuit as it gears up for presidential debate

(FOX NEWS) -- CNN faces a defamation lawsuit over a 2021 story centered around the chaotic Afghanistan withdrawal as the network gears up for Thursday’s presidential debate between President Biden and former President Trump.

Judges with the First District Court of Appeal for the State of Florida ruled on June 12 that the plaintiff, Zachary Young, offered enough evidence that he was able to move forward with a defamation suit against CNN for punitive damages. Young alleges that CNN smeared his security consulting company, Nemex Enterprises Inc., by implying it illegally profited when helping people flee Afghanistan during the Biden administration's military withdrawal from the country in 2021.

"Young sufficiently proffered evidence of actual malice, express malice, and a level of conduct outrageous enough to open the door for him to seek punitive damages," the court document states. "Whether Young can ultimately prevail is not the issue before us."

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