Jury Finds New York Times Defamed Former Alabama Basketball Player in Shooting Coverage

An Alabama jury has found that the New York Times defamed a former University of Alabama men’s basketball player by falsely reporting that he was at the scene of a deadly shooting, marking the first time in more than 50 years the paper lost a defamation lawsuit brought in the United States.The lawsuit stemmed from the Times’ coverage of a 2023 shootout at Tuscaloosa, which killed a 23-year-old mother, Jamea Harris. A former Alabama basketball player, Darius Miles, was charged with capital murder and is awaiting trial. The Times, citing a single anonymous source, falsely reported that another player, Kai Spears, was in a car that was involved in the shooting. An editor’s note was later added to the story explaining that Mr. Spears was not in the car. Mr. Spears complained in his lawsuit that the “false statements will be associated with him for the rest of his life,” and that he had endured mental anguish and death threats, the Times reported Friday. Mr. Spears subsequently transferred to a less prestigious Division II college.After a nine-day trial in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Alabama, jurors found that the Times defamed Mr. Spears. The jury awarded Mr. Spears $9.25 million in damages. A spokesman for the Times, Charlie Stadtlander, said in a statement, “We’re disappointed the jury found The Times liable for an honest mistake.”“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. We are reviewing our legal options,” Mr. Stadtlander said. The Times is expected to appeal the ruling, and noted that it expects the damages will be adjusted down as Alabama law has caps for jury awards in certain cases. The Supreme Court case New York Times Co. v. Sullivan established the “actual malice” standard in defamation cases, which requires plaintiffs who are public figures to show that an outlet knowingly published a false claim or showed reckless disregard for the truth. However, for private individuals, the plaintiff needs only to show that a defendant acted with negligence. While the Times reviews its legal options in response to its loss, it is also facing a high-profile $15 million defamation lawsuit brought by President Trump, alleging the paper tried to hurt his 2024 candidacy.The Times insists that lawsuit does not have merit and filed a motion to dismiss. The judge in that case gave Mr. Trump an August 27 deadline to amend his lawsuit before ruling on the motion to dismiss.

Jury Finds New York Times Defamed Former Alabama Basketball Player in Shooting Coverage

Jury Finds New York Times Defamed Former Alabama Basketball Player in Shooting Coverage

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