In the News

From the First Hour to a $9.25 Million Federal Jury Verdict

Stephen P. New’s involvement in the Kai Spears case began almost immediately. Within an hour of The New York Times publishing the article at the center of the dispute, Kai’s father, Christian Spears, called Steve.

That phone call began a legal fight that would span more than three years and ultimately end with a $9.25 million federal jury verdict in Kai’s favor.

In March 2023, Kai was an 18-year-old freshman basketball player at the University of Alabama when The New York Times published a report placing him at the scene of a fatal shooting involving members of the Alabama basketball program.

Steve immediately began working on behalf of Kai and his family. He reached out to The New York Times and was communicating with attorneys for the newspaper within a week.

In the days following publication, statements disputing the report were made by Kai, by Christian through Marshall University, where he was serving as Athletic Director, and by University of Alabama Athletic Director Greg Byrne.

Steve also began speaking publicly on behalf of the Spears family. In one of his earliest interviews, he made the issue at the heart of the dispute clear: Kai maintained that he had not been at the scene. Steve told WBRC:

The New York Times did not correct its reporting until after the lawsuit was filed.

More Than Three Years of Litigation

Kai filed suit against The New York Times Company in federal court in 2023, asserting claims including defamation and false light / invasion of privacy. Steve remained part of Kai’s legal team alongside attorneys Matt Glover and Ginger Buck throughout the litigation.

The case involved extensive discovery, motions and complex questions of media law. Among them was a dispute involving the scope of Alabama’s reporter’s privilege. That issue resulted in a certified question being considered by the Alabama Supreme Court before the case proceeded toward trial.

Kai’s deposition was taken on June 26, 2025 at Stephen New & Associates in Beckley, West Virginia.

View the Deposition Transcript (PDF)

For more than three years, the legal team continued building and preparing Kai’s case. That work also included members of the Stephen New & Associates team. Following the verdict, Steve specifically recognized Emilee Wooldridge and Stephanie Henson for their contributions to the case.

Nine Days in Federal Court

In August 2026, the case went before a federal jury in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. A jury of eight heard nine days of testimony and saw evidence that had never before been made public.

After more than five hours of deliberation, the jury returned its verdict on August 20, 2026, finding in Kai’s favor and awarding him a total of $9.25 million in damages against The New York Times Company.

The verdict included $750,000 on the defamation claim and $8.5 million on the false light / invasion of privacy claim — $1 million in compensatory damages and $7.5 million in punitive damages.

Following the verdict, Kai made a point to recognize the attorneys who had fought beside him throughout the case: Stephen New, Matt Glover and Ginger Buck.

For Steve, however, the significance of the verdict extends beyond the monetary award.

After the verdict, Steve shared a verse that speaks directly to what had been at the center of the fight from the beginning: