Jury finds New York Times defamed Kai Spears

An Alabama jury awarded $9.25 million to former University of Alabama basketball player Kai Spears after finding that The New York Times defamed him by incorrectly reporting that he was at the scene of a fatal shooting in Tuscaloosa.

The eight-person jury reached its verdict Thursday after a nine-day trial in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama. Spears sued the newspaper 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 said the person had spoken “on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters.”

Days later, the newspaper acknowledged the error in an editor’s note and corrected the story.

The January 2023 shooting killed Jamea Harris, a 23-year-old mother. Three other University of Alabama basketball players were present, according to the reports. The Guardian reported that it was later revealed the person in the car was a team manager rather than Spears, and that the team manager was not implicated or charged in the shooting.

In his lawsuit, Spears said the inaccurate report caused him emotional distress and forever linked him with a murder.

Matt Glover, an attorney for Spears, said he was pleased with the jury’s decision and believes “this verdict will improve journalism throughout the country.”

The Times said it was reviewing its legal options after the verdict.

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

After the article was published in 2023, Spears disputed the report on social media, CBS Sports reported.

“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.”

Spears’s father, Christian Spears, told Patch that the family was thankful for the verdict.

“Our goal was a simple retraction from The New York Times,” he said. “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.”

A Times article on Thursday’s verdict said the newspaper “had not lost a defamation lawsuit brought in the United States over one of its articles in more than 50 years.” CBS News reported that the article also said Alabama law caps jury awards in certain cases, meaning the damages in Spears’s case will be adjusted downward by more than $2 million.

Spears played for Alabama’s men’s basketball team and later transferred after the 2023-24 season. The Guardian reported that he has also played for Marshall and West Liberty during his college basketball career.