Tuscaloosa, Ala. — An Alabama jury has ordered The New York Times to pay $9.25 million in damages after concluding that the newspaper defamed former college basketball player Kai Spears by wrongly reporting he was at the scene of a deadly shooting in Tuscaloosa.
Spears, a former member of the University of Alabama men’s basketball team, filed the lawsuit in 2023 following a Times article that said he had been a passenger in a vehicle connected to the shooting. The report cited a person familiar with the investigation, who the paper said spoke “on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters.”
The newspaper later conceded the information was wrong, adding an editor’s note and correcting the article days after publication.
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The verdict came from an eight-person jury after a nine-day trial in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama. Matt Glover, an attorney representing Spears, welcomed the outcome, saying he believes “this verdict will improve journalism throughout the country.”
The New York Times is evaluating its next legal steps, spokesperson Charlie Stadtlander said after the ruling.
“We’re disappointed the jury found The Times liable for an honest mistake,” Stadtlander said in a statement Thursday. “We thank the jury for its service, but believe the verdict and award of damages are contrary to law and not supported by the evidence.”
The January 2023 shooting left a 23-year-old mother dead, and three other Alabama basketball players were at the scene. In his lawsuit, Spears argued that the inaccurate report caused him emotional distress and permanently associated his name with a murder.
CBSSports.com reported that after the Times story was published, Spears responded on social media, calling the claim that he had been at the scene “100% inaccurate.”
“I have one thing to say — the report in the New York Times was 100% inaccurate and the writer had complete disregard for the truth,” Spears said. “I am trying to process and cope with these false statements that somehow have been published and then seen by so many. So thankful to Alabama Athletics for refuting it on my behalf.
“More than anything, I remain completely heartbroken by the tragic death that occurred that night.”
A Times article reporting on the verdict Thursday said the newspaper “had not lost a defamation lawsuit brought in the United States over one of its articles in more than 50 years.”
The article says Alabama law caps jury awards in certain cases and so the damages in this one will be adjusted downward by more than $2 million.
