New York Times defamed ex-college player, must pay him millions, jury says

Tuscaloosa, Alabama saw an Alabama jury award $9.25 million in damages to former college basketball player Kai Spears on Thursday. The ruling came after the jury found The New York Times liable for defaming Spears by incorrectly reporting that he was present at a fatal shooting in Tuscaloosa. Spears, who was a member of the University of Alabama men's basketball team, filed a lawsuit against the Times in 2023, alleging that the newspaper published a report citing an anonymous source that suggested he was a passenger in a car involved in the shooting.

The Times later acknowledged its error and corrected the story, but not before it had been widely circulated. The eight-member jury heard the case for nine days in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama. Spears' attorney, Matt Glover, expressed satisfaction with the verdict, stating that it would set a positive precedent for journalism in the country.

The Times spokesperson, Charlie Stadtlander, was disappointed with the jury's decision, calling it contrary to law and unsupported by the evidence. The lawsuit involved three other Alabama basketball players present at the January 2023 shooting, which resulted in the death of a 23-year-old mother. Spears had taken to social media to denounce the inaccurate report, claiming it had caused him emotional distress and unjustly associated him with the murder.

Despite the Times' long history of not losing a defamation lawsuit in the United States, the newspaper acknowledged in its article reporting the verdict that jury awards in certain cases are capped, resulting in the damages being reduced by more than $2 million.