Alabama Jury Returns $9.25 Million Verdict Against The New York Times for Prince Glover Hayes Client
The defamation case on behalf of former University of Alabama basketball player Kai Spears resulted in a $9.25 million verdict against The New York Times on Thursday, August 20, 2026. A federal jury in Tuscaloosa deliberated for around five hours following a nine-day trial before returning the verdict. The Prince Glover Hayes team is pleased to have achieved these results for our client. Spears sought accountability for the news outlet’s erroneous reporting. The eight-person jury returned its verdict in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama. U.S. District Judge Annemarie Carney Axon presided over the trial.
Background on the case
In January 2023, 23-year-old Jamea Harris was shot to death near the Tuscaloosa Strip. On March 15, 2023, New York Times sportswriter Billy Witz authored an article incorrectly stating that Spears was in the passenger seat of former Alabama basketball player Brandon Miller’s Dodge Charger, a vehicle involved in the shooting, at the time of the attack. According to the article, that information came from an anonymous source who was familiar with the investigation.
In truth, Crimson Tide basketball manager Cooper Lee, not Spears, was in Miller’s vehicle. During the shooting, Spears, who was just 18 at the time, was several blocks away in a different vehicle.
When the events took place, Spears was a freshman walk-on for the Crimson Tide. He went on to earn a full scholarship the following season. Shortly after the article came out, Spears publicly disputed it, calling the report “100% inaccurate.”
Spears filed his lawsuit against the paper alleging the reporting caused emotional distress and forever linked him with a murder. Several days after, the Times acknowledged the mistake in an editor’s note and corrected the story.
The trial against the Times
Spears brought two claims, one for defamation and the other for false light invasion of privacy. Jurors found the Times liable on both, returning the $9.25 million verdict. Of that total, about $7.5 million was in punitive damages.
The case focused closely on Witz’s complete reliance on an anonymous source whom he reportedly met the same morning he published the article. Jurors heard how the paper uses anonymous sources, the efforts it takes to verify information before publishing, and its response after Spears, his family members, and Alabama officials disputed the story. Matt Glover spoke about the Times’ decisions, stating that “They were chasing a headline at the expense of a child.”
The Times was represented at trial by Birmingham attorney Michael L. Bell of Lightfoot, Franklin & White. Witz testified during the trial and apologized to Spears directly from the witness stand, but maintained that he followed the newspaper’s standards and policies on anonymous sources.
Attorneys for the Times argued that the report was an honest mistake and was not actionable wrongdoing.
Historic results against the Times
According to the Times’ coverage, the paper hasn’t lost a defamation case brought in the U.S. over one of its articles in more than 50 years. For Spears, the result acknowledges the severe distress the erroneous reporting caused him and the harm to his reputation. However, the impact of the decision is much broader – as Matt Glover stated, “this verdict will improve journalism throughout the country.”
Alabama law caps jury awards in certain cases, and in this claim, the damages will be adjusted downward by more than $2 million. Additionally, the Times stated that it is reviewing its legal options. No timetable has been given for an appeal.
The trial team consisted of Matt Glover of Prince Glover Hayes, Steve New of Stephen New & Associates, and Ginger Buck of Buck Law. We’re extremely proud of our role in achieving this meaningful result on behalf of Spears.
Prince Glover Hayes: A Tuscaloosa law firm
Since our founding by Robert F. Prince in 1979, we’ve been working in Tuscaloosa to build a reputation for dedicated representation of everyday people against large corporations and insurance companies. Bob Prince secured some of Alabama’s largest jury verdicts of his era in personal injury, environmental, and insurance fraud cases. We’re continuing his tradition by taking on high-stakes cases – whether personal injury, car accidents, truck wrecks, wrongful death, environmental, defective products, or insurance fraud. Recently, our firm was part of the litigation that returned more than $744 million to Alabama and its citizens from those responsible for the opioid crisis.
If you’ve suffered an injury, reach out to our offices today. We offer free consultations to prospective clients. Prince Glover Hayes serves clients in Tuscaloosa and Jefferson Counties and throughout Alabama. Visit us at 2311 University Boulevard, Suite A, Tuscaloosa, AL 35401, call us, or fill out our contact form to schedule a case evaluation.