A federal jury ordered The New York Times to pay $9.25 million to former University of Alabama basketball player Kai Spears for defamation. The jury found that the newspaper falsely reported in March 2023 that Spears was in a vehicle involved in a shooting that resulted in the death of 23-year-old Jamea Harris in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Spears was not in the vehicle at the time of the incident.
The Times acknowledged the error in an editor's note and stated that the claim was based on information from a source. Following the publication of the article, both Alabama's athletic director and Spears' father denied that he was present at the scene. Spears filed the lawsuit in 2023, claiming the article caused him emotional distress and linked his name to the murder.
During the trial, which lasted nine days in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama, the jury awarded Spears $9.25 million, although his attorneys had requested $15 million. The court determined that Spears, being a private figure, only needed to prove that the claim was false and negligently published. The Times argued that the article did not defame Spears as it did not claim he was involved in the shooting. This verdict is noted as the first loss for The New York Times in a defamation lawsuit in 50 years.