Alabama jury awards $9.25m to college basketball player in defamation case against New York Times

An Alabama jury has awarded $9.25m in damages after finding that the New York Times defamed a college basketball player by incorrectly reporting that he was at the scene of a fatal shooting.

Kai Spears, who played for the University of Alabama men’s team, sued the Times in 2023 after it published a report, citing a person familiar with the investigation, that said he was a passenger in a car involved in the shooting. The Times reported that the person had spoken “on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters.”

The original article was published in March 2023. Spears sued the Times on 30 May 2023 and days later, the newspaper acknowledged its error in an editor’s note and corrected the story.

The jury delivered its verdict after a nine-day trial. Matt Glover, an attorney for Spears, said he was pleased with the decision and believes “this verdict will improve journalism throughout the country.”

The Times is reviewing its legal options.

“We’re disappointed the jury found The Times liable for an honest mistake,” the Times 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.”

Three other basketball players from the school were present at the January 2023 shooting, which killed Jamea Harris, a 23-year-old mother. In the lawsuit, Spears claimed the inaccurate reporting had caused him emotional distress and linked him for ever with a murder. It was later revealed that the person in the car was a team manager rather than Spears. The team manager was not implicated or charged in the shooting.

A Times article reporting on the verdict on 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.”

Spears’s father, Christian, said the family were thankful for the verdict.

“Our goal was a simple retraction from The New York Times,” Christian Spears told Patch. “Instead, the Times defended its inaccurate article and continued to distort facts rather than acknowledge the harm they caused, acting as if its power made it untouchable. The Alabama jury made it clear to the New York Times that they were wrong to do what they did.”

Spears has also played for Marshall and West Liberty during his college basketball career after transferring from Alabama after the 2023-24 season.