A federal judge has overturned the verdict in a class action lawsuit against the NFL filed on behalf of “Sunday Ticket” subscribers, according to multiple reports Thursday, with the latest decision marking a victory for the league.
In June, a jury in U.S. District Court ordered the NFL to pay billions in damages to “Sunday Ticket” subscribers. The jury had awarded $4.7 billion in damages to residential subscribers and $96 million in damages to commercial subscribers.
However, U.S. District Judge Philip Gutierrez, who presided over the case, said Wednesday that the jury did not follow his instructions in determining damages, per The Associated Press.
Gutierrez had previously said damages could not be “based on guesswork or speculation” and “plaintiffs must prove the reasonableness of each of the assumptions upon which the damages calculation is based,” per the AP.
“We are grateful for today’s ruling in the Sunday Ticket class action lawsuit,” the NFL said in a statement Thursday, according to multiple reports. “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.”
The lawsuit, filed nine years ago, alleged the NFL broke antitrust laws. “NFL Sunday Ticket” subscribers accused the league, its teams and its network partners of working together to sell the out-of-market sports package at an inflated price and restrict competition
The NFL previously said it would “contest” the decision.
The league argued it could sell the viewing package under an antitrust exemption for broadcasting, while the plaintiffs said the exemption only covers over-the-air broadcasts instead of paid TV, according to the AP.
Arguments began in June in the trial, which featured testimony from NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones.
The original complaint was filed on behalf of the Mucky Duck bar in San Francisco. Last year, a district judge ruled the case could proceed as a class action filed on behalf of more than 2.4 million residential subscribers and 48,000 businesses that bought the package from June 17, 2011, to Feb. 7, 2023, per the AP.
The NFL, its teams and network partners DirecTV, CBS, ESPN and Fox, are listed as defendants in the case.
(Photo: Ric Tapia / Getty Images)
