Alabama Jury Awards Ex-Player $9.25 Million In New York Times Defamation Case
On Thursday, August 20, 2026, an eight-person federal jury in the Northern District of Alabama found the New York Times liable for defaming former college player Kai Spears and awarded him $9.25 million.[1]
The award stemmed from a 2023 Times story that incorrectly said Spears was a passenger in a car at a fatal Tuscaloosa shooting.[1] The Times issued an editor's note and corrected the story days after publication, but now says it will review its legal options following the verdict.[1] Alabama law caps certain jury awards, and the Times says the $9.25 million judgment will be reduced by more than $2 million under those limits.[1]
Spears sued the Times, saying the 2023 article falsely linked him to the fatal Tuscaloosa shooting.[1] The newspaper corrected the piece a few days later and added an editor's note acknowledging the error.[1] The Times says it had not lost a US defamation lawsuit over one of its articles in more than 50 years before this verdict.[1]
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📌 Key Facts
- On Thursday, August 20, 2026, an eight-person federal jury in the Northern District of Alabama found the New York Times liable for defaming Kai Spears.
- The jury awarded Spears $9.25 million in damages over a 2023 story that incorrectly said he was a passenger in a car at a fatal Tuscaloosa shooting.
- The Times issued an editor's note and corrected the story days after publication but now plans to review its legal options following the verdict.
- Alabama law caps certain jury awards, and the Times reports the $9.25 million judgment will be reduced by more than $2 million under those limits.
- The Times said it had not lost a defamation lawsuit in the United States over one of its articles in more than 50 years before this verdict.
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