A federal appeals court revived a class action lawsuit verdict against the NFL Friday, more than two years after a district judge reversed a jury's decision. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals sent the case back to the district court in Los Angeles to reinstate the jury's $4.7 billion verdict and order a new trial on damages. The lawsuit, originally filed in 2015 by the Mucky Duck sports bar, claimed the NFL broke antitrust laws by selling the Sunday Ticket package at inflated prices and restricting competition by limiting it to satellite provider Direc TV.
The case covered 2.4 million residential subscribers and 48,000 businesses who purchased the package for out-of-market games from the 2011 through 2022 seasons. A jury in June 2024 awarded $4.7 billion in damages, though the award was thrown out in July 2024 when a judge ruled two expert witnesses' testimony should have been excluded. The appellate panel disagreed, ruling the testimony was reliable and the jury's verdict must stand unless clearly unsupported by evidence.
The court also found the jury's damage calculations were based on speculation. Since federal antitrust laws can triple damages, the NFL could face over $14 billion in liability. "Sunday Ticket" moved to YouTube in 2023 under a seven-year agreement.
Source: ESPN NFL · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing