A federal jury has ordered The New York Times to pay $9.25 million in damages for defaming former University of Alabama basketball player Kai Spears, marking the publication's first loss in a US defamation suit in more than five decades.
Jury Rules in Favor of Former Alabama Player
The verdict came after a nine-day trial in the US District Court for the Northern District of Alabama. An eight-person jury found that the newspaper falsely linked Spears, then an 18-year-old freshman walk-on, to a fatal shooting that occurred in January 2023.
The case centered on a March 2023 article written by reporter Billy Witz. The article incorrectly identified Spears as a passenger in a vehicle present at the scene of the shooting that resulted in the death of 23-year-old Jamea Harris.
Newspaper's Response and Legal Options
The New York Times acknowledged that it had not lost a defamation suit in the United States in over 50 years. A spokesperson for the newspaper expressed disappointment with the decision, maintaining that the report was an honest mistake. The spokesperson stated that the organization is reviewing its legal options.
Meanwhile, legal counsel for Spears said the verdict stands as a victory for accountability in reporting.
Correction Issued Only After Lawsuit Filed
The newspaper did not issue a correction until June 2023, after Spears had already filed his lawsuit. The correction eventually clarified that the individual present at the scene was student manager Cooper Lee, not Spears.
Spears previously addressed the impact of the false report, noting that he was nowhere near the scene and subsequently faced severe public harassment and online threats due to the inaccurate coverage.
Spears Speaks Out on Harassment and False Narrative
After initially filing the lawsuit in 2023, Spears said: "I was not anywhere near the scene or vicinity at the time that took place. I don't think it is a mistaken identity. I just think they didn't do their due diligence."
He added: "I had multiple threats from like Twitter and Instagram, people telling me to kill myself, people telling me I'm a murderer, we're a team full of murderers. And they're just kind of putting this false narrative out… I mean, I did nothing wrong."
Spears had also put out a statement on Twitter saying: "The report in the New York Times was 100 percent inaccurate and the writer had complete disregard for the truth. I am trying to process and cope with these false statements that somehow have been published and seen by so many. SO thankful to Alabama Athletics for refuting it on my behalf."
He concluded: "More than anything... I remain completely heartbroken by the tragic death that occurred that night."
