Jake Tapper is being sought for questioning in a high-stakes CNN defamation lawsuit.

The legal team representing the U.S. Navy veteran suing CNN for defamation has requested the court to order anchor Jake Tapper to undergo an additional hour of deposition after he declined to respond to critical questions during the initial deposition, which were aimed at discovering punitive damages.

According to Zachary Young, CNN falsely accused his security consulting company, Nemex Enterprises Inc., of profiting illegally while assisting people fleeing Afghanistan during the Biden administration's withdrawal from the country in 2021. Young claims that CNN's actions on Tapper's program "The Lead" damaged his reputation and business.

A trial with high stakes is set to commence on January 6th in Judge Henry's courtroom in Bay County, Florida's Circuit Court.

Last week, Tapper sat for a deposition but was instructed by CNN's counsel not to answer certain questions, as per a court filing obtained by Planet Chronicle Digital.

In less than two hours, Tapper was instructed by CNN's counsel not to respond to more than 30 questions, as stated by Young's attorney, Vel Freedman.

The outcome was that CNN prevented Plaintiffs from obtaining essential financial information (such as Tapper's salary), investigating matters that the jury may need to determine a punitive damages award (such as Tapper's opinion on what financial penalty would discourage CNN from future misconduct), and even requesting clarification or receiving complete answers to the questions that the witness responded to (such as interrupting the witness mid-answer and demanding, "Just answer the question as asked").

Freedman presented "examples of CNN's improper instructions" that led to a request for more time to question Tapper.

Tapper was instructed by CNN not to respond to questions about his salary, financial penalties directly linked to the court order, other punitive damages-related issues, and follow-up questions about his previous answers.

Freedman contended that Tapper's salary was "pertinent information for Plaintiffs and reflects CNN's resources and profitability," and examined the "limitations of the penalties that could be imposed to adequately penalize CNN and discourage similar behavior in the future."

Freedman wrote that CNN instructed Tapper not to respond to basic questions that aimed to obtain information relevant to determining punitive damages.

"During the deposition, Tapper would sometimes respond with answers that introduced new topics or issues, prompting counsel to follow up for clarification or further explanation. However, CNN's counsel objected to these attempts."

Tapper injected comments made before the deposition commenced into the deposition, which prejudiced Plaintiffs from making a full record for the jury.

In another instance, "CNN’s counsel interrupted Tapper while he was speaking to prevent him from disclosing information that CNN didn't want made public, even though the matter was not confidential."

The deposition transcript heavily redacted specific examples of Freedman's claims.

Freedman wrote, "Due to the aforementioned reasons, Plaintiffs kindly ask the Court to order CNN to provide Mr. Tapper for an additional hour, require him to answer questions related to punitive damages discovery, and allow for any necessary follow-up and clarification from Tapper's responses."

CNN's legal team declined to comment on the request.

The CNN segment at the center of the suit, which was shared on social media and also repackaged for CNN's website, began with Tapper informing viewers that CNN correspondent Alex Marquardt found "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."

Marquardt accused Young of exploiting desperate Afghans by charging exorbitant and impossible amounts for transportation to Pakistan or the United Arab Emirates. He displayed Young's face on the screen and stated that his company was asking for $75,000 to transport a vehicle of passengers to Pakistan or $14,500 per person to reach the United Arab Emirates.

Marquardt informed viewers that prices were unaffordable for most Afghans.

Young accused CNN of misrepresenting him as a predatory actor who exploited desperate people through the use of "black market," "exploit," and "exorbitant" in an inaccurate portrayal.

CNN editors were concerned about a segment but aired it anyway, according to internal communications revealed during the discovery process. Meanwhile, other internal communications showed that CNN employees used profanities and disparaging language when privately discussing Young.