NFL ‘Sunday Ticket’ Lawsuit Overturned by Judge After Jury Orders League to Pay $4.7B
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U.S. District Court Judge Philip Gutierrez has overturned a federal jury’s $4.7 billion judgment in favor of plaintiffs in the NFL Sunday Ticket case, specifically questioning the jury’s methods in coming up with the original damages figure.
“The Court finds that the jury’s damages awards were not based on the ‘evidence and reasonable inferences’ but instead were more akin to ‘guesswork or speculation,'” Gutierrez wrote in a 16-page ruling, per A.J. Perez of Front Office Sports.
Joe Reedy of the Associated Press explained the gist behind the lawsuit, which resulted in the original $4.7 billion judgment that could have tripled under U.S. antitrust law, per Perez.
“The lawsuit covered 2.4 million residential subscribers and 48,000 businesses in the United States who paid for the package on DirecTV of out-of-market games from the 2011 through 2022 seasons. The lawsuit claimed the league broke antitrust laws by selling the package at an inflated price. The subscribers also say the league restricted competition by offering ‘Sunday Ticket’ only on a satellite provider.”
However, Gutierrez wrote that the “jury’s damages verdict is clearly not supported by the evidence and must be vacated.”
The NFL has released a statement on the matter following the ruling, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
“We are grateful for today’s ruling in the Sunday Ticket class action lawsuit. We believe that the NFL’s media distribution model provides our fans with an array of options to follow the game they love, including local broadcasts of every single game on free over-the-air television. We thank Judge Gutierrez for his time and attention to this case and look forward to an exciting 2024 NFL season.”
Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk offered some insight on the matter, saying in part: “There seemed to be more than enough evidence to support a finding of an antitrust violation. The problem seemed to be damages. That could mean a new trial or it could mean a $1 verdict.
“Regardless, the case is destined to continue to churn through the court system. Far too much money is at stake.”
Per the Associated Press, it is likely that the plaintiffs appeal the case in the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.
