All-white Montgomery County jury awards Sullivan $500,000 — the largest libel verdict in U.S. history — against the New York Times

An all-white Montgomery County jury delivered a $500,000 verdict for L.B. Sullivan against the New York Times and the four Black clergymen named as co-defendants, the largest libel verdict in U.S. history at the time. The jury found the advertisement false and defamatory without hearing expert testimony on whether Sullivan had been identified in the ad. The judge instructed the jury it could award punitive damages without finding actual injury to Sullivan's reputation. Alabama courts then authorized the seizure of the clergymen's personal property — including their cars — to secure the judgment while the case was on appeal.