The New York Times has been ordered to pay $9.25 million in damages to Kai Spears, a former walk-on basketball player for the University of Alabama, after an Alabama jury found the newspaper defamed him in a March 2023 report.
An eight-person jury delivered the verdict Thursday following a nine-day trial. Spears, then an 18-year-old freshman, was linked to a fatal shooting in January 2023 in reporting by Times sportswriter Billy Witz. The article erroneously identified Spears as a passenger in the car at the scene of the shooting that resulted in the death of 23-year-old Jamea Harris.
The Times issued an editor's note in June 2023, after Spears had filed his defamation lawsuit. The note stated that the article "misidentified the person who was in the car with [Crimson Tide star player] Brandon Miller when the shooting occurred." It initially identified the person as Spears, based on information from a source familiar with the case. Following denials from Spears' father and Alabama's athletic director, further reporting determined the person was Cooper Lee, a student manager for the team. The Times expressed regret for the error.
Witz testified that he relied on one anonymous source, described as a "high-level person, professional," who claimed Spears was present at the scene. He also noted a separate anonymous source indicated "it's a white guy on the basketball team, I just don't remember his name."
During his testimony, Witz conceded that the story contained a mistake. The New York Times, in its report on the verdict, noted that it had not lost a defamation lawsuit in the United States over one of its articles in over 50 years.
A spokesperson for The Times stated, "We’re disappointed the jury found The Times liable for an honest mistake. 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. We are reviewing our legal options."