The New York Times was dealt a major courtroom loss Thursday after a federal jury found the newspaper defamed a former University of Alabama basketball player by falsely reporting that he was present at the scene of a deadly 2023 shooting.
An eight-person federal jury in Alabama sided with former Crimson Tide basketball player Kai Spears and awarded him $9.25 million in damages. According to the Times, the verdict marked the newspaper’s first courtroom defeat in a defamation case involving one of its articles in more than 50 years.
Spears sued the Times in 2023 after the newspaper published an article that incorrectly identified him as a passenger in a vehicle connected to the fatal shooting in Tuscaloosa.
But Spears was not at the scene.
Three other Alabama basketball players, including Brandon Miller, were present when the shooting occurred. The incident left a 23-year-old mother dead.
Spears accused the Times of libel and “false light” invasion of privacy, arguing that the newspaper’s erroneous reporting caused him emotional distress and permanently connected his name to a murder despite the fact that he was nowhere near the scene.
The Times eventually corrected the story and added an editor’s note after Spears filed his lawsuit.
In its correction, the newspaper acknowledged that its original March 15 article had misidentified the person who was in the vehicle with Miller when the shooting took place.
The Times said its original reporting was based on information from a person familiar with the case who incorrectly identified Spears, then a freshman basketball player, as the passenger.
After the article was published, both Spears’ father and Alabama’s athletic director denied that Spears had been present. The Times said it included those denials and reviewed its reporting at the time but initially determined that no further changes were necessary.
That changed after Spears filed his defamation lawsuit.
The newspaper said the lawsuit contained new details that prompted editors to conduct additional reporting. That review determined that the person at the scene was actually Cooper Lee, a student manager for the basketball team, rather than Spears.
“The Times regrets the error in the initial report,” the newspaper said in its correction, while removing the incorrect information from the article.
The case ultimately went before a federal jury following a nine-day trial in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama.
Jurors sided with Spears on Thursday, awarding the former Alabama player $9.25 million.
Spears did not immediately respond to the Times’ request for comment following the verdict.
Times spokesman Charlie Stadtlander, however, said the newspaper disagreed with the jury’s decision and maintained that the mistake did not justify the verdict.
“We’re disappointed the jury found The Times liable for an honest mistake,” Stadtlander said. “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.”
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