This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
A federal judge has ruled on CNN's claim it is protected from a defamation lawsuit because it was using Shariah law ideology when it charged a man helping people escape from Afghanistan after the disastrous troop withdrawal done by Joe Biden and Kamala Harris was "black market."
And that claim goes "too far," the ruling said.
A Fox News report explains also that the plaintiff in the case, Zachary Young, "did not act illegally or criminally," in contradiction to what the network publicly claimed.
Hundreds of Americans and thousands of Afghanis who had supported the American presence there were abandoned by Biden and Harris when they ordered the abrupt departure of American troops.
While they left behind billions of dollars worth of America war machine, which ended up in the hands of the terror-creating Taliban, the human toll was huge, and the Taliban cracked down on anyone it viewed as not being fully supportive of its terror agenda.
Young charges that CNN "destroyed his reputation and business by branding him an illegal profiteer who exploited desperate Afghans" during that time frame.
Fox reported it obtained documents in which Judge William S. Henry ruled Young did not act "criminally or illegally," and said CNN comments about a black market ring were about Young.
The CNN programming included host Jake Tapper "informing viewers that CNN correspondent Alex Marquardt discovered 'Afghans trying to get out of the country face a black market full of promises, demands of exorbitant fees, and no guarantee of safety or success.'"
Then Young singled out Young in its claims of "black market," "exploit" and "exorbitant."
The report noted CNN's lawyers had claimed there are multiple definitions of "black market" and that his actions "implicated Taliban or Sharia law violations."
The judge found, "First, there is nothing in the record to suggest that any Taliban or Sharia law which would restrict the movement of persons (especially women) within or out of Afghanistan was properly enacted, adopted or recognized law to even suggest that evacuating individuals from Afghanistan was a criminal or illegal activity. In fact, the only information contained in the record suggests that formal adoption of any rules restricting travel within or out of Afghanistan did not occur until 2024 – almost three years after the publications in this case."
And the judge pointed out that CNN's own reporting "did not uncover illegal or criminal activity committed by Young."
A trial now is scheduled to start Jan. 6, 2025, in Florida.
CNN was widely mocked earlier for claiming the protection of Shariah.
Sharia, for example, according to an online definition, calls for atrocities including amputation of a thief's hands, killing people for criticizing the Quran, killing people who deny Muhammad was a prophet, killing people who lead a Muslim away from Islam, killing a non-Muslim man who marries a Muslim woman, killing homosexuals (although sodomizing young boys is allowed), and "taqiyya" or lying to non-Muslims, is encouraged.
Please be aware of multiple instances of offensive language in the following:
Just recently, a Florida appellate court affirmed that Young, a U.S. Navy veteran, and his company, Nemex Enterprises Inc., could seek punitive damages from CNN.
The report said Young's lawyer charged that Young lost $40-60 million in economic opportunity.
