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Alabama Jury Awards Former University of Alabama Basketball Player Kai Spears $9.25 Million in Defamation Case Against the New York Times Over Erroneous Shooting Report

BIRMINGHAM, AL — An Alabama jury has awarded $9.25 million in damages to former University of Alabama basketball player Kai Spears after finding that The New York Times defamed him by incorrectly placing him at the scene of a fatal shooting. The verdict came after a nine-day trial and stems from a March 2023 article that linked Spears to the investigation.

Spears sued the newspaper in 2023 after it reported, based on information from a person familiar with the investigation, that he was a passenger in a car involved in the shooting. The Times later acknowledged the error in an editor’s note and issued a correction. Spears said the mistake caused emotional distress and tied his name permanently to a murder he had no role in.

Jury Returns Verdict

Attorney Matt Glover, who represented Spears, said he was pleased with the jury’s decision and believed it would improve journalism across the country. Spears’s father, Christian, also said the family was grateful for the outcome, telling Patch that the verdict showed the newspaper was wrong to continue defending the story after the error was identified.

The Times said in a statement Thursday that it was disappointed by the verdict and believed the jury had found it liable for an honest mistake. The newspaper said it thanked the jurors for their service but disagreed with the damages award and said it was reviewing its legal options.

What The Case Covered

The underlying shooting happened in January 2023 and killed Jamea Harris, a 23-year-old mother. The lawsuit said three other basketball players from the University of Alabama were present that night, but Spears was not one of them. The person actually in the car was later identified as a team manager, who was not implicated or charged in the shooting.

Spears transferred from Alabama after the 2023-24 season and later played for Marshall and West Liberty. His case focused on the reputational harm he says came from being publicly connected to a deadly crime through a report that was later corrected.

Next Steps For Times

The New York Times is expected to continue weighing its legal options after the verdict. A Times article about the case on Thursday said the newspaper had not lost a defamation lawsuit brought in the United States over one of its articles in more than 50 years.

For now, the jury’s award stands unless it is challenged through the court process. Readers looking for further updates would need to check court filings and any statements from The New York Times as the case moves forward.

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