Overview
- An eight-person federal jury in the Northern District of Alabama found The New York Times liable for defamation and false-light invasion of privacy and awarded former Alabama player Kai Spears $9.25 million after a nine-day trial.
- The March 15, 2023 Times article had identified Spears as a passenger in a car tied to a fatal January 2023 Tuscaloosa shooting based on a single confidential source and was later corrected to name a team manager as the passenger.
- Times sportswriter Billy Witz testified that he relied on the anonymous source, apologized from the witness stand, and the newspaper has called the error an "honest mistake."
- Spears sued in 2023 seeking damages for emotional and reputational harm; his lawyers had asked jurors for $15 million and emphasized that the correction came only after the lawsuit was filed.
- Legal experts say the rare loss for the Times could change newsroom sourcing and verification practices and is likely to be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit.