New York Times Ordered to Pay College Basketball Player $9.25 Million for Defamation
A defamation lawsuit involved The New York Times being ordered too pay $9.25 million to a former college basketball player, Kai Spears, after an Alabama jury found the newspaper falsely linked him to a murder scene. In 2023, The Times published a story claiming Spears was present in a vehicle during a shooting, but it was later clarified that the passenger was actually the team’s manager. Spears sued for defamation and invasion of privacy, claiming emotional distress from the false reporting. Despite the Times issuing corrections, the jury deemed the damages justified, criticizing reliance on anonymous sources and flawed verification. The case highlighted legal standards,noting that while public figures require proving ‘actual malice,’ private individuals like Spears only need to show negligence. The verdict marked The Times’ frist loss in a defamation case in over 50 years and coincided with ongoing legal challenges faced by the newspaper from other prominent figures, including a $15 billion lawsuit from Donald Trump for alleged reputation attacks. The article also touches on similar media settlements involving Trump with ABC, CBS, and social media platforms over various defamation claims.
The New York Times was ordered to pay $9.25 million this week to a former men’s college basketball player, after an Alabama jury found he was defamed when the outlet wrongfully linked him to a murder scene.
In March 2023, the newspaper reported that Kai Spears, a former walk-on player for Alabama, was sitting in the passenger seat of NBA player Brandon Miller’s car during the shooting of Jamea Harris in Tuscaloosa.
In reality, the passenger was the team’s manager, not Spears, according to USA Today.
Spears filed a lawsuit against the outlet for defamation and “false light” invasion of privacy. He reportedly claimed emotional distress after seeing his name linked to a high-profile killing.
The New York Times issued a correction and editor’s note after the lawsuit was filed, but the jury didn’t think that was enough to make Spears whole again.
The outlet claimed that this was the first U.S. defamation lawsuit it’s lost in over 50 years. The newspaper’s attorney tried to frame it as “an honest mistake,” but the paper was slammed in court for relying on anonymous sourcing and a faulty verification process.
Spears’ father, Christian, commented on the verdict to the outlet Patch, saying, “Our goal was a simple retraction from The New York Times. Instead, the Times defended its inaccurate article and continued to distort facts rather than acknowledge the harm they caused, acting as if its power made it untouchable. The Alabama jury made it clear to The New York Times that they were wrong to do what they did.”
The Washington Post covered the historic loss, noting that in “legal circles, the New York Times is synonymous with the standard for proving defamation. In the landmark Supreme Court case New York Times Co. v. Sullivan, a libel suit also brought in Alabama, the justices established that public-figure plaintiffs must prove ‘actual malice’ — that false information was published knowingly or with reckless disregard for the truth.”
When it comes to private individuals, however, plaintiffs only have to prove that “the information was false and published with negligence.”
The court found that Spears, despite his college basketball fame, is still a private figure.
The New York Times published an article about the verdict and reminded readers that it’s also facing a $15 billion defamation case from President Donald Trump, who accused the outlet of seeking to undermine his 2024 candidacy for the White House by disparaging his reputation.
Trump has managed to start a trend and has media outlets on guard after settling for millions of dollars with top institutions.
ABC News settled with Trump for $15 million in December 2024, after he sued George Stephanopoulos over statements regarding a civil trial verdict. He also settled with CBS News for $16 million in July 2025, due to the editing of a “60 Minutes” interview with Kamala Harris.
In addition, MS Now reported that the commander in chief settled for a combined $59 million from the parent companies of YouTube, Facebook, and X back in 2025, over the suspension of his social media accounts following the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol incursion.
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