Warner Brothers Discovery, which owns CNN, on Friday expanded healthcare benefits options to include expenses for employees and their covered family members who need to travel to access abortions and other reproductive care, according to a company spokesperson.
Media & the pressRulingAgainst
CNN settled a defamation claim after a Florida jury found the network had defamed security contractor Zachary Young
CNN settles after $5 million defamation verdict CNN settled with a security consultant after a Florida jury found the network had defamed him in a story that suggested he was charging "exorbitant prices" to evacuate people from Afghanistan in 2021.
After a Florida jury found that CNN defamed a U.S. Navy veteran who helped rescue endangered Afghans, the network reached a settlement on Friday to avoid a punishing order that it pay punitive damages.
Young blamed CNN for destroying his business through a 2021 story on Jake Tapper’s broadcast about a “black market” of extracting desperate Afghans following the Taliban takeover.
Plaintiff Zachary Young sued CNN in 2022 and accused the cable news giant of destroying his reputation in a segment on “The Lead with Jake Tapper.” CNN
A Florida jury on Friday found CNN liable for defaming a Navy veteran who helped evacuate people from Afghanistan following President Biden’s disastrous exit from the country.
CNN ordered to pay $5M for defaming Navy veteran after Biden's disastrous Afghanistan pullout
The jury found that CNN had defamed Young and ordered the network to pay $4 million for his loss of income, plus another $1 million in other compensatory damages.
A Florida jury on Friday found that CNN defamed a U.S. Navy veteran in a 2021 story about people paid to rescue endangered Afghans following the Taliban takeover of that country.
The jury in Panama City, Florida, deliberated for more than eight hours starting Thursday before ruling in favor of Zachary Young, who blamed CNN for destroying his business by showing his face onscreen in a story about a "black market" of smuggling out desperate Afghans for high fees.
CNN found liable for $5 million in defamation trial against US Navy veteran over Afghanistan report
CNN found liable for $5 million in defamation trial against US Navy vet over ‘black market’ Afghanistan story
CNN found liable in defamation trial against US Navy veteran over Afghanistan report | The Independent
The jury in the trial, which was held in deeply conservative Bay County, Florida, was tasked with determining whether CNN acted with “actual malice” during its reporting on Young.
A Florida jury found CNN liable on Friday in a high-stakes defamation trial against U.S. Navy veteran Zachary Young, who alleged that the network maligned him as an “illegal profiteer” with a report on Afghan evacuees being charged thousands of dollars to flee the country following the U.S. military withdrawal.
A jury found CNN defamed security contractor Zachary Young in a November 2021 report, shown above, about Afghans' fears of exorbitant charges from people offering to get them out of the country after the Taliban took control of Afghanistan.
Young's lead attorney, Vel Freedman, had argued that CNN willfully damaged Young, costing him millions of dollars and causing irreparable personal harm, and that the network should be punished for it.
CNN settles lawsuit after $5 million defamation verdict
CNN settles after $5 million defamation verdict CNN settled with a security consultant after a Florida jury found the network had defamed him in a story that suggested he was charging "exorbitant prices" to evacuate people from Afghanistan in 2021.
CNN reached a legal settlement with a security contractor Friday after a Florida jury found the network had defamed him by suggesting he was charging "exorbitant prices" to evacuate people from Afghanistan after the U.S. withdrawal in August 2021.
CNN agreed on Friday afternoon to settle a defamation lawsuit filed by security contractor Zachary Young, who argued that his reputation and business were destroyed after he was featured in a November 2021 segment on the network about the high costs of evacuating Afghans from the country after the Taliban took power.
CNN settles defamation lawsuit over Afghanistan report - The Washington Post
A Florida jury found CNN liable on Friday in a high-stakes defamation trial against U.S. Navy veteran Zachary Young, who alleged that the network maligned him as an "illegal profiteer" with a report on Afghan evacuees being charged thousands of dollars to flee the country following the U.S. military withdrawal.
Reproductive careConfirmedYou decide
Warner Bros. Discovery expands abortion care benefits
Warner Bros. Discovery immediately expanded healthcare benefits to cover employee and family transportation for abortion and reproductive care after the court ruling.
A Warner Bros. Discovery spokesperson said the company is “committed to offering our employees across the country access to consistent and comprehensive healthcare services. In light of the Supreme Court’s recent decision, we immediately expanded our healthcare benefits options to cover transportation expenses for employees and their covered family members who need to travel to access abortion and reproductive care.”
Zaslav: I write today to inquire about your decision to advertise Warner Bros. Discovery’s (WBD) coverage of abortion procedure and travel expenses rather than the company’s paid family leave policy after the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v.
Disney, Netflix, Paramount, Comcast, Warner Bros. Discovery, Sony, Meta and several major media and entertainment companies said they will cover travel costs for employees seeking abortions after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v.
Netflix said it offers employees and their dependents up to $10,000 in travel reimbursement for cancer treatment, transplants, gender affirming care, or abortion through its plan, while Warner Bros. Discovery said it has expanded its healthcare benefits to cover employees who must go to other states to access abortion and reproductive care.
Warner Bros. Discovery “immediately expanded” its healthcare benefits to cover transportation expenses for employees and covered family members who need to access abortion and reproductive care after the court’s ruling, according to a spokesperson.
At Warner Bros. Discovery, Adria Alpert Romm, the company’s chief people and culture officer, emailed employees saying, “Given the recent Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade and the likely elimination of access to abortions in some states, we are immediately expanding our healthcare benefits options to include expenses for employees and their covered family members who need to travel to access a range of medical procedures, including care for abortions, family planning and reproductive health.”
Disney, Sony, Paramount Global, Netflix, Comcast and Warner Bros. Discovery informed employees or are preparing to inform staff that they will reimburse travel expenses for those looking to obtain abortions across state lines, should it be necessary, TheWrap has learned.
In light of the Supreme Court’s recent decision, we immediately expanded our healthcare benefits options to cover transportation expenses for employees and their covered family members who need to travel to access abortion and reproductive care,” a Warner Bros. Discovery spokesperson said.
Corporate conductAllegationAgainst
CNN is accused of misleading court on net worth
CNN accused of misleading court on net worth for high-profile defamation case.
Warner Bros. Discovery Expands Partnership with No Kid Hungry to Donate Another 1 Billion Meals by September 2023
Labor & working conditionsRulingAgainst
Judge finds CNN violated labor laws
An administrative law judge found CNN’s actions violated the National Labor Relations Act and that CNN was a successor employer to and joint employer with TVS.
After a lengthy hearing in 2008, an administrative law judge found that CNN’s actions violated the National Labor Relations Act and that CNN was a successor to, and joint employer with, TVS.
Corporate conductConfirmedAgainst
DOJ concludes investigation into Warner Bros. Discovery
The U.S. Department of Justice Antitrust Division issued a statement regarding its investigation into the proposed acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery.
The Antitrust Division of the U.S. Department of Justice (“Division”) issued the following statement today in connection with the closing of the Division’s investigation into the proposed acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery (“WBD” or “Warner Bros.”)
Media & the pressSettlementAgainst
CNN settles defamation lawsuit
CNN settled a multimillion-dollar defamation lawsuit filed by Covington Catholic High School student Nick Sandmann and his legal team over inaccurate coverage of a viral confrontation with a Native American elder.
In 2020, CNN settled a multimillion-dollar defamation lawsuit filed by Covington Catholic High School student Nick Sandmann and his legal team over the network’s inaccurate coverage of a viral confrontation with a Native American elder that had portrayed the Kentucky teen as an aggressor.
Workplace equityConfirmedYou decide
Warner Bros. Discovery implements uniform application process
Warner Bros. Discovery will have a uniform and consistent application process across talent programs including internships and mentoring.
Along with the name change, Warner Bros. Discovery will now have “a uniform and consistent application process across our talent programs,” including internships, mentoring and other development programs, according to the memo.