An Alabama jury ruled on August 20 that former Alabama basketball player Kai Spears was defamed by The New York Times, awarding him $9.25 million in damages after the newspaper inaccurately linked him to a fatal shooting. The article wrongly identified Spears as a passenger in the car during the shooting of Jamea Harris, which was later clarified to involve a team manager. Spears filed the lawsuit for defamation and emotional distress after the Times issued a correction post-lawsuit. This case marks the first defamation loss for the Times in over 50 years, highlighting issues with their anonymous sourcing and verification processes.
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Kai Spears prevails in defamation case against New York Times
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