Jury Awards $9.25M in Defamation Case Against Times

An Alabama jury has awarded $9.25 million in damages to Kai Spears, a former University of Alabama basketball player. The verdict came after a nine-day trial in federal court.

Spears sued over a 2023 article that incorrectly identified him as a passenger in a car involved in a fatal shooting in Tuscaloosa. He alleged the report constituted libel and false light invasion of privacy.

The article's mistaken reporting caused Spears significant emotional distress and inaccurately linked him to the death of a 23-year-old mother. Three other players were present during the incident.

Following Spears' lawsuit, the publisher issued a correction and an editor's note, disclosing the passenger's identity for the first time. This marks a rare loss for the publisher in a U.S. defamation case concerning its articles.