CNN and two of its biggest stars are reportedly embroiled in a libel lawsuit involving a Florida heart surgeon.
The lawsuit involves alleged false reporting on infant mortality relating to the hospital's open-heart surgery process.
According to Puck, the suit brought by Dr. Michael Black dates to 2016. At the time, CNN reported that St. Mary's Medical Center open-heart surgery on infants led to a mortality rate of "three times the national average."
Hospitals officials claim the reporting used cherry-picked data that was "flawed and deeply dishonest." The network's reporting prompted the hospital's former chief executive, David Carbone, to resign and the hospital to shutter its pediatric cardiac surgery program.
At the center of the lawsuit is star anchor Anderson Cooper who was deposed for the case. Cooper reportedly told attorneys that he never attended editorial meetings where the story was brought up and did not have any involvement in disseminating information on social media about the case.
He reportedly would not answer whether financial bonuses were tied to his show's ratings—however, the questionable reports aired during his performance and online.
CNN's fact-checking process is being scrutinized in the lawsuit. The so-called "Triad Process" was the subject of a 2017 New York Times article that referred to the system as a "three-pronged internal system designed to ensure that sensitive reporting by the network's journalists is unimpeachable before it runs."
According to the report, Dr. Black is represented by the same attorneys prosecuting Dominion's defamation case against Fox News, Tom Clare, and Libby Locke.
CNN could face a multi-million-dollar settlement if it is liable for any damages.
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