Ninth Circuit Orders New Trial in NFL Sunday Ticket $4.7B Damages Case
Ninth Circuit reinstated NFL antitrust verdict and ordered new trial on $4.7B damages.
Why it matters: This ruling revives a major antitrust case impacting sports broadcasting rights and damages calculations, setting precedent for high-stakes litigation.
- Ninth Circuit reinstated 2024 jury verdict that NFL violated antitrust laws with Sunday Ticket distribution.
- Original jury awarded about $4.7 billion to 2.4 million residential and 48,000 commercial subscribers.
- District Judge Philip Gutierrez had overturned verdict citing unreliable expert testimony.
- Appellate court found district court abused discretion by excluding subscriber expert testimony and ordered new damages trial.
On October 30, 2026, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit reinstated a jury verdict that found the National Football League (NFL) violated antitrust laws through its exclusive Sunday Ticket television distribution agreements. This decision reversed a district court ruling that had overturned the jury's June 2024 award of approximately $4.7 billion to residential and commercial subscribers who claimed the NFL had overcharged for the Sunday Ticket service.
The original lawsuit, initiated in 2015, challenged the NFL's practice of selling out-of-market game packages exclusively through DirecTV, alleging inflated pricing harmed subscribers. The jury verdict, involving about 2.4 million residential and 48,000 commercial subscribers, sided with plaintiffs, awarding billions in damages.
However, U.S. District Judge Philip Gutierrez vacated the verdict, citing flaws in the plaintiffs' expert testimony and damage calculations. The Ninth Circuit disagreed, finding that excluding subscriber expert evidence regarding antitrust injury was an abuse of discretion. The appellate court emphasized that "opinions are neither unfounded nor unreliable merely because they are impeachable." It ordered a new trial limited to determining the appropriate amount of damages without disturbing the finding of NFL liability.
This decision leaves the NFL's ultimate financial liability undetermined but affirms the antitrust breach. It also signals judicial scrutiny on how damages and expert testimony are considered in high-value sports media litigation. The ruling could influence future contractual disputes involving broadcasting rights and pricing strategies.
For more on this case, see Courthouse News, CBS News, and Sports Media Watch.
By the numbers:
- $4.7 billion — Original jury damages awarded in June 2024.
- 2.4 million — Approximate number of residential Sunday Ticket subscribers in class action.
- 48,000 — Approximate number of commercial subscribers involved in the lawsuit.
Yes, but: The Ninth Circuit reinstated the liability verdict but did not affirm the damages amount, requiring a new trial to reassess financial penalties.
What's next: The new trial on damages will determine NFL's final financial liability; no timeline has been announced yet.