Plaintiffs in high-stakes CNN defamation suit want to grill Jake Tapper again

The ineligible squad representing the U.S. Navy seasoned suing CNN for defamation has requested the tribunal to compel anchor Jake Tapper to beryllium down for an further hr of deposition aft helium refused to reply cardinal questions "aimed astatine punitive damages discovery" during the archetypal go-round. 

Zachary Young alleges that CNN smeared his information consulting company, Nemex Enterprises Inc., by implying it illegally profited erstwhile helping people flee Afghanistan during the Biden administration's military withdrawal from the state successful 2021. Young believes CNN "destroyed his estimation and business" during a conception that twelvemonth connected Tapper's programme "The Lead."

A high-stakes civilian proceedings is scheduled to statesman connected Jan. 6 successful beforehand of Judge Henry successful the Circuit Court for Bay County, Florida. 

Tapper sat down for a deposition past week but was instructed by CNN’s counsel not to reply a assortment of questions, according to a tribunal filing obtained by Fox News Digital. 

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The ineligible squad representing the U.S. Navy seasoned suing CNN for defamation says Jake Tapper refused to reply cardinal questions "aimed astatine punitive damages discovery." (Photo by Scott Kowalchyk/CBS via Getty Images)

Young’s attorney, Vel Freedman, wrote that "CNN’s counsel directed Tapper not to reply much than 30 questions" successful the people of little than 2 hours.

"The extremity effect was that CNN prevented Plaintiffs from (1) gathering basal fiscal accusation (e.g., Tapper’s salary); (2) exploring issues the assemblage mightiness request to measure a punitive damages grant (e.g., Tapper’s sentiment connected what fiscal punishment mightiness deter CNN from aboriginal misconduct); and (3) from adjacent asking for clarification of Tapper’s answers oregon getting implicit answers to the questions the witnesser did reply (e.g., interrupting the witnesser mid-answer saying: ‘Just reply the question arsenic asked)," Freedman wrote. 

Freedman past offered "some of the much egregious examples of CNN’s improper instructions" that resulted successful a petition to walk much clip grilling Tapper. 

CNN instructed Tapper "not to reply questions astir his salary," "not to reply questions astir fiscal penalties that straight tracked the Court’s order," "not to reply questions that sought to research different punitive damages related issues" and "not to reply questions seeking to travel up connected his responses." 

Freedman argued that Tapper’s wage is "relevant accusation for Plaintiffs, and speaks to CNN’s resources and their profitability," and exploring the "bounds of what penalties mightiness beryllium required to sufficiently penalize CNN and deter akin misconduct successful the future."

"CNN instructed Tapper not to reply innocuous foundational questions that were intended to pb to accusation applicable to assessing and calculating punitive damages," Freedman wrote. 

"During the deposition, Tapper would astatine times respond with answers injecting topics oregon issues into the deposition," Freedman continued. "When counsel tried to travel up connected those answers, oregon question clarity oregon further mentation of them, CNN’s counsel objected."

DEFAMATION LAWSUIT AGAINST CNN COULD EXPOSE COMPANY’S FINANCIAL SECRETS AS COURT SEEKS TO EXPOSE NET WORTH

Plaintiff Zachary Young’s photograph was aired by CNN during the conception successful question.  (CNN/Screenshot)

Freedman continued: "Another illustration occurred erstwhile Tapper injected comments made earlier the deposition commenced into the deposition. When Plaintiffs asked for clarification and travel up, CNN instructed Tapper not to respond, prejudicing Plaintiffs from making a afloat grounds for the jury."

Freedman wrote that successful different instance, "CNN’s counsel chopped Tapper disconnected mid-sentence to halt him from testifying astir thing CNN didn’t privation him to, contempt the contented not being privileged."

Specific examples of Freedman’s claims were heavy redacted successful the deposition transcript. 

"For the foregoing reasons, Plaintiffs respectfully petition the Court compel CNN to nutrient Mr. Tapper for 1 further hour, bid him to respond to questions aimed astatine punitive damages discovery, and licence tenable travel up and clarification from Tapper’s answers," Freedman wrote. 

CNN’s ineligible squad did not instantly respond to a petition for comment. 

The CNN conception astatine the halfway of the suit, which was shared connected societal media and besides repackaged for CNN's website, began with Tapper informing viewers that CNN analogous Alex Marquardt recovered "Afghans trying to get retired of the state look a achromatic marketplace afloat of promises, demands of exorbitant fees, and nary warrant of information oregon success."

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CNN’s Jake Tapper is caught up successful a suit implicit a 2021 communicative centered astir the chaotic Afghanistan withdrawal. (Getty Images)

Tapper tossed to Marquardt, who said "desperate Afghans are being exploited" and request to wage "exorbitant, often intolerable amounts" to fly the country. Marquardt past singled retired Young, putting a representation of his look connected the surface and saying his institution was asking for $75,000 to transport a conveyance of passengers to Pakistan oregon $14,500 per idiosyncratic to extremity up successful the United Arab Emirates.

"Prices good beyond the scope of astir Afghans," Marquardt told viewers. 

No different radical oregon companies were named different than Young, who alleged that CNN, utilizing the presumption "black market," "exploit" and "exorbitant," inaccurately painted him arsenic a atrocious histrion preying connected hopeless people. 

Internal communications betwixt CNN employees that were revealed during the find process person indicated editors were acrophobic astir the segment, but aired it anyway. Other interior communications revealed CNN employees utilized profanities and disparaging connection erstwhile privately discussing Young. 

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