Top CNN Figure Out After ‘Fake News’ Story Costs Network Millions

network, marking a difficult end to his eight-year tenure, which comes five months after his reporting was linked to a defamation trial that ultimately cost the company millions of dollars.

Alex Marquardt’s departure marks a significant setback in his career with CNN, concluding a chapter engulfed in controversy.

“Some personal news: I’m leaving CNN after 8 terrific years. Tough to say goodbye but it’s been an honor to work among the very best in the business. Profound thank you to my comrades on the National Security team & the phenomenal teammates I’ve worked with in the US and abroad,” Marquardt said in a post published on X.

Former CNN media correspondent Oliver Darcy claimed that Alex Marquardt’s dismissal stemmed from “editorial differences.” However, the embattled reporter offered few specifics when announcing his departure on Monday, keeping the details vague.

In January, a jury in Bay County, Fla., found that CNN had defamed U.S. Navy veteran Zachary Young and ruled he was eligible to seek punitive damages over a November 2021 report by Alex Marquardt.

CNN reporter Alex Marquardt exits after network lost $5M defamation case against Navy veteran https://t.co/XgkctIp8QA pic.twitter.com/NGYSCTXE5E

— New York Post (@nypost) June 2, 2025

Young alleged the network falsely portrayed him as profiting from efforts to help people flee Afghanistan during the chaotic U.S. withdrawal under President Biden. He claimed the report damaged his reputation and business by framing him as someone exploiting “desperate Afghans.”

Before the jury could decide on punitive damages, CNN and Young reached a confidential settlement. Prior to that agreement, the jury had awarded Young $5 million in compensatory damages for financial and emotional harm.

The foreman for the jury told Fox News they were ready and willing to make CNN fork over “somewhere in the neighborhood of $50 million to $100 million.”

During the trial, it was revealed that Alex Marquardt had allegedly told a colleague, “we’re gonna nail this Zachary Young mf—er,” a remark that was repeatedly cited throughout the proceedings. Despite this, CNN defended its decision to keep Marquardt on air after the lawsuit, describing him as an “experienced, veteran reporter with valuable insights on the news.”

Young says he has not forgiven Marquardt for his actions, criticizing the former CNN correspondent for displaying defiance while testifying on the witness stand.

“We’ve given Mr. Marquardt plenty of opportunities during deposition and then again at trial to apologize. And, you know, the answer was no,” Young said to Fox News Digital. “He still stands behind his work. He’s very proud of what he did. His hit piece on me to destroy my life.”

“I wasn’t looking to take anyone down. I didn’t take anyone down,” Marquardt said in his testimony.

Although Marquardt never personally apologized to Young, CNN issued one in 2022 after Young threatened legal action. During the trial, Marquardt and several CNN staff members testified that they saw no reason to offer an apology.

“Alex Marquardt had put in an email, ‘I’m going to nail this Zachary Young.’ At that point it seemed as though he had put a target on Mr. Young’s back, and he was not going to let up until he reached his goal… It was obvious to the entire jury that he was out to get him,” jury foreman Katy Svitenko told Fox News.

She added it was then that she decided the actions Marquardt took fit the legal definition of defamation with malice.

“The jury pretty much agreed… those emails among the CNN employees were pretty bad. And not just one, it was several, at various levels throughout the corporation,” she continued.

Daniel Lustig, the attorney representing Young in a separate lawsuit against the Associated Press over similar reporting, hinted that a lawsuit against that news organization is forthcoming.

“The Associated Press had full knowledge of [the] outcome [of the CNN trial] and still chose to escalate the defamatory accusation,” he said in a statement. “That says everything you need to know about their judgment and what’s coming next.”