A journalist behind the CNN report at the center of a defamation trial was accused of "misleading" the plaintiff by hiding he was always going to be part of their story.

Zachary Young, a U.S. Navy veteran and former U.S. government operative, is accusing CNN of defamation in a case that is currently on trial in Florida. Defamation trials are rare in the U.S. due to constitutional protections for the press, which make proving libel difficult.

Judge William Henry blasted CNN’s lead counsel in the ongoing defamation trial on Wednesday, ordering him to apologize to plaintiff Zachary Young for repeatedly calling him a "liar."

The judge presiding over the CNN defamation trial slammed lawyers on both sides for a lack of professionalism.