Ex-Bama Basketball Player Kai Spears Awarded Over $9M In defamation Suit Vs New York Times

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In March 2023, Billy Witz falsely reported that Kai Spears, then an Alabama Crimson Tide basketball player, had been in the passenger seat of Brandon Miller’s car at the time of a fatal shooting in Tuscaloosa that January. Spears later sued The New York Times for defamation. Spears’ lawsuit made it to civil trial in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama, beginning Aug. 10, and reached a historic conclusion on Thursday...

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“The Times had not lost a defamation lawsuit brought in the United States over one of its articles in more than 50 years,” Katie Robertson of The New York Times confirmed.

“We’re disappointed the jury found The Times liable for an honest mistake,” Charlie Stadtlander, a Times spokesman said in a statement, per Robertson. “We thank the jury for its service, but believe the verdict and award of damages are contrary to law and not supported by the evidence.”

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