The legal team representing the US Navy veteran sue CNN for defamation asked the court to force presenter Jake Tapper to sit for an additional hour of deposition after he refused to answer key questions “aimed at discovery of punitive damages” during the first round.

Zachary Young claims CNN defamed his security consulting firm, Nemex Enterprises Inc., by implying it profited illegally from helping people flee Afghanistan during the war. The Biden administration military withdrawal from the country in 2021. Young believes CNN “destroyed his reputation and business” during a segment that year on Tapper’s show “The Lead.”

A high-stakes civil trial is scheduled to begin Jan. 6 before Judge Henry in the Circuit Court of Bay County, Florida.

Tapper sat down for a deposition last week, but CNN’s lawyer asked him not to answer various questions, according to a court filing obtained by Fox News Digital.

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The legal team representing the US Navy veteran suing CNN for defamation claims Jake Tapper refused to answer key questions “aimed at discovery of punitive damages.” (Photo by Scott Kowalchyk/CBS via Getty Images)

Young’s attorney, Vel Freedman, wrote that “CNN’s lawyer ordered Tapper not to answer more than 30 questions” in less than two hours.

“The end result was that CNN prevented the plaintiffs from (1) gathering basic financial information (e.g., Tapper’s salary); (2) exploring questions the jury might need to evaluate the award of punitive damages (e.g., Tapper’s opinion on the financial penalty that could deter CNN from future misconduct) and (3) even requesting clarification of Tapper’s responses or obtaining full responses to the questions to which the witness answered (e.g., interrupting the witness in the middle of his response by saying, “Just answer the question as follows”);

Freedman then offered “some of the most egregious examples of improper instructions from CNN” that resulted in a request to spend more time questioning Tapper.

CNN asked Tapper “not to answer questions about his salary,” “not to answer questions about financial sanctions that directly followed the court order,” “not to answer questions that sought to explore d ‘other questions relating to punitive damages’ and ‘not to answer questions’. seeking to follow up on his responses.

Freedman argued that Tapper’s salary is “relevant information to the plaintiffs and speaks to CNN’s resources and their profitability”, and explored the “limits of sanctions that might be necessary to sufficiently penalize CNN and deter misconduct similar in the future.

“CNN asked Tapper not to answer innocuous, basic questions intended to lead to information relevant to the assessment and calculation of punitive damages,” Freedman wrote.

“During the deposition, Tapper would sometimes respond with answers injecting topics or issues into the deposition,” Freedman continued. “When counsel attempted to follow up on these responses, or seek further clarification or explanation, CNN’s counsel objected.”

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The photo of plaintiff Zachary Young was broadcast by CNN during the segment in question. (CNN/Screenshot)

Freedman continued: “Another example occurred when Tapper injected into the deposition comments made before the deposition began. When the plaintiffs asked for clarification and follow-up, CNN asked Tapper not to respond, preventing the plaintiffs from preparing a complete case for the jury.”

Freedman wrote that in another instance, “CNN’s lawyer interrupted Tapper mid-sentence to prevent him from testifying about something CNN did not want him to do, even though the matter was not privileged .”

Specific examples of Freedman’s claims were largely redacted in the deposition transcript.

“For the foregoing reasons, Plaintiffs respectfully request that the Court compel CNN to present Mr. Tapper for an additional hour, order him to answer questions seeking discovery of punitive damages, and allow follow-up and reasonable clarification of Tapper’s responses,” Freedman wrote.

CNN’s legal team did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The CNN segment at the center of the lawsuit, which was shared on social media and also repackaged for CNN’s website, began with Tapper informing viewers that Alex Marquardt, CNN correspondent “Afghans trying to leave the country face a black market full of promises, demands for exorbitant fees and no guarantee of safety or success.”

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CNN’s Jake Tapper is embroiled in a lawsuit over a 2021 story centered on the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan. (Getty Images)

Tapper snapped at Marquardt, who said “Desperate Afghans are exploited” and must pay “exorbitant, often impossible sums” to flee the country. Marquardt then pointed the finger at Young, displaying a photo of his face on the screen and saying his company was charging $75,000 to transport a passenger vehicle to Pakistan or $14,500 per person to end up in the United Arab Emirates.

“Prices well out of reach for most Afghans,” Marquardt told viewers.

No other person or company was named other than Young, who alleged that CNN, using the terms “black market”, “exploit” and “exorbitant”, falsely portrayed him as a bad actor preying on desperate people.

Internal communications between CNN employees that came to light during the discovery process indicated that editors were concerned about the segment but aired it anyway. Other internal communications revealed that CNN employees used profanity and derogatory language when privately discussing Young.

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