Alabama Jury Awards $9.25M to Basketball Player in Times Defamation Suit

A federal jury in Alabama has awarded $9.25 million in damages to Kai Spears, a former University of Alabama basketball player, after finding that the New York Times defamed him in a 2023 article. The verdict, delivered Thursday after a nine-day trial in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama, concluded that the newspaper incorrectly reported that Spears was a passenger in a car involved in a fatal shooting in Tuscaloosa.

The Times published the story in January 2023, citing an unnamed person familiar with the investigation who spoke on condition of anonymity. Days later, the newspaper issued an editor's note acknowledging the error and corrected the article. Spears, who was not present at the shooting, sued the Times, claiming the inaccurate report caused emotional distress and wrongly linked him to the murder of a 23-year-old mother. Three other basketball players were at the scene.

Matt Glover, Spears' attorney, expressed satisfaction with the verdict, saying it would "improve journalism throughout the country." The Times, through spokesperson Charlie Stadtlander, said it was disappointed and believed the verdict and award were "contrary to law and not supported by the evidence." The newspaper is reviewing its legal options. The Times noted in its own coverage that this was its first U.S. defamation loss in over 50 years.