New York Times must pay college basketball star $9.25M as it loses defamation case for first time in 50 years over false report

The New York Times has been ordered to pay $9.25 million in damages after an Alabama jury found the publication defamed former college basketball player Kai Spears by falsely linking him to a fatal 2023 shooting.

Following a nine-day trial in the US District Court for the Northern District of Alabama, an eight-person jury ruled in favor of Spears, who was an 18-year-old freshman walk-on for the University of Alabama when the story was published.

The defamation suit stemmed from a March 2023 article written by Times reporter Billy Witz, which erroneously identified Spears as a passenger in the car at the scene of a January 2023 shooting that resulted in the death of 23-year-old Jamea Harris.

Witz relied on an anonymous source he described as a ‘high-level person, professional,’ but later admitted that the article contained a clear mistake.

In its own coverage following the verdict, The Times noted that it had not lost a defamation lawsuit in the United States in more than 50 years.

‘We’re disappointed the jury found The Times liable for an honest mistake,’ a Times spokesperson said in a statement. 

‘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.’

Matt Glover, an attorney for Spears, said he was pleased with the decision and believes ‘this verdict will improve journalism throughout the country.’ 

Former Alabama basketball player Darius Miles, who played for the Crimson Tide from 2020-23, and his childhood friend, Michael Lynn Davis, were ultimately charged with capital murder in connection to Harris’ death. Davis was later convicted and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. 

The Times did not publish an editor’s note correcting the error until June 2023 – after Spears had already filed his lawsuit – eventually clarifying that the person present at the scene was student manager Cooper Lee, not Spears. 

‘The original version of this article, published March 15, misidentified the person who was in the car with [Crimson Tide star player] Brandon Miller when the shooting occurred,’ the 2023 note began.

‘Based on information from a person familiar with the case, the article erroneously identified that person as Kai Spears, a freshman basketball player. 

‘After the article was initially published, Alabama’s athletic director and Spears’s father denied that Spears was present. The Times included those responses and reviewed its reporting, but did not conclude that any other change to the article was warranted at that time.

‘On Wednesday, Spears filed a defamation suit against The Times that included new details about the incident. Based on that information, editors assigned further reporting, which determined that the other person at the scene was not Spears but Cooper Lee, a student manager for the team. The Times regrets the error in the initial report.’

After initially filing the lawsuit back in 2023, Spears said: ‘I was not anywhere near the scene or vicinity at the time that took place. I don’t think it is a mistaken identity. I just think they didn’t do their due diligence.

‘I had multiple threats from like Twitter and Instagram, people telling me to kill myself, people telling me I’m a murderer, we’re a team full of murderers. And they’re just kind of putting this false narrative out … I mean, I did nothing wrong.’ 

Spears had also put a statement out on Twitter saying: ‘The report in the New York Times was 100% inaccurate and the write had complete disregard for the truth.

‘I am trying to process and cope with these false statements that somehow have been published and seen by so many. SO thankful to Alabama Athletics for refuyting it on my behalf.

‘More than anything… I remain completely heartbroken by the tragic death that occurred that knight.’