In a stunning twist, a federal judge has overturned a $4.7 billion verdict against the National Football League, whose broadcast model was found in a jury trial to have violated antitrust laws.
U.S. District Judge Philip Gutierrez granted the NFL‘s bid to void the verdict, finding that some of the testimony from experts who testified in the trial should’ve have been excluded. Without that testimony, she concluded that “no reasonable jury could have found class-wide injury or damages.”
The 8-year-old legal battle centered on allegations that the league and its 32 teams conspired in violation of antitrust laws to allow the NFL to reach exclusive deals with broadcast partners for the right to air out-of-market games. If the verdict stood, the NFL stood to lose nearly $15 billion since damages in antitrust cases can be trebled. It may have also been forced to change its broadcast model.
In June, a jury agreed with fans who claimed they overpaid for Sunday Ticket. Bids to overturn jury verdicts through so-called motions for judgment as a matter of law are rarely granted, as it was in this case.
“We are grateful for today’s ruling in the Sunday Ticket class action lawsuit,” an NFL spokesperson stated. “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.”
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