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A federal appeals court ordered a new trial in the class-action lawsuit against the NFL to determine how much the league must pay in financial damages to affected subscribers of its Sunday Ticket out-of-market games
package.
On Friday, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals issued a ruling Friday that a district court judge erred in tossing the verdict against the NFL following a 2024 trial, after a jury found the NFL had violated antitrust law with the Sunday Ticket package (previously offered through DirecTV). The appeals court said the judge correctly threw out the $4.7 billion award, and said consumers who sued the league are entitled to a new trial to determine financial penalties. The case now goes back to district court.
“The jury clearly awarded damages based on its improper consideration of the evidence rather than according to the district court’s instructions,” the appeals court said in the ruling. “This warrants a new trial on damages.”
In a statement, an NFL spokesperson said: “We are disappointed by today’s decision in the NFL Sunday Ticket appeal, the latest development in this case which has been ongoing now for over 11 years. We continue to believe that our media distribution strategy — which features 100% of NFL games broadcast on free over-the-air television in the markets of the participating teams and national distribution of our most popular games, supplemented by many additional choices including RedZone, Sunday Ticket and NFL Plus – is by far the most fan-friendly distribution model in all of sports and entertainment.”
The NFL rep added, “We appreciate the panel’s attention to this case, and we will be considering our options for seeking further appellate review of today’s decision.”
