Appeals court revives NFL Sunday Ticket antitrust verdict

A federal appeals court restored a jury’s antitrust verdict against the National Football League over its Sunday Ticket package but left the $4.7 billion damages award vacated, ordering a new trial to determine any payment to subscribers. The Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that a district judge erred by excluding expert testimony offered by subscribers in the case. The three-judge panel said questions about the experts’ methods and conclusions should have been weighed by a jury, rather than used to set aside the finding that the NFL violated antitrust law. The panel did not reinstate the jury’s damages award. It agreed that jurors had not calculated damages in accordance with the trial judge’s instructions, and that their figure was based on speculation. The case returns to the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California for a new damages trial. No trial date was reported. A jury in June 2024 awarded approximately $4.7 billion to residential and business subscribers. The award was later thrown out by U.S. District Judge Philip Gutierrez, who concluded that testimony from subscriber experts should have been excluded. The appeals court found that the...