NYTimes Loses Defamation Case

A federal jury in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, has ordered The New York Times to pay $9.25 million in damages after finding the newspaper liable for defamation against former University of Alabama men’s basketball player Kai Spears.

The Washington Post reports the nine-day trial ended with the jury siding with Spears, who sued the Times in 2023 for libel and false light invasion of privacy. He alleged the newspaper’s erroneous reporting caused him “severe emotional distress, mental anguish, and loss of enjoyment of life.”

Spears’ lawsuit stemmed from a March 15, 2023, article by college sports reporter Billy Witz about a deadly shooting involving members of the Alabama basketball team, including star player Brandon Miller. Citing anonymous sources, the story incorrectly stated that Spears was in a car with Miller at the scene. Spears denied being present. He filed suit on May 30, 2023. 

Three days later, on June 2, the Times added an editor’s note to the original article, acknowledging that further reporting showed a student team manager—not Spears—had been there.The Times, which sent a reporter to cover the trial, first reported the verdict on Thursday. Spokesman Charlie Stadtlander said in a statement: “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.”

In the landmark 1964 Supreme Court case New York Times Co. v. Sullivan—also an Alabama libel suit—the justices established that public figures must prove “actual malice” to win a defamation claim. The court in this case treated Spears as a private figure, requiring him only to show the information was false and published with negligence.

According to the Times’ own reporting, the newspaper had not lost a U.S. defamation lawsuit over one of its articles in more than 50 years.