Getty Image
In late June, a jury ruled against the NFL in a class action lawsuit regarding its Sunday Ticket viewing package.
The presiding judge, U.S. District Judge Philip Gutierrez, then ordered the NFL to pay $4.7 billion in residential class damages and $96 million in commercial class damages to fans and bars respective.
But it turns out the NFL might have a way out.
NFL Could Face New Trial In Sunday Ticket Class Action Lawsuit
Joe Reedy of the Associated Press reports that the jury did not follow instructions when determining damages according to Gutierrez.
The NFL filed a post-trial motion asking that Gutierrez rule for the league if he finds the plaintiffs did not prove their case.
Gutierrez could also order a new trial entirely if he determines the jury improperly calculated damages.
Gutierrez reportedly told jury members that “damages may not be based on guesswork or speculation. Plaintiffs must prove the reasonableness of each of the assumptions upon which the damages calculation is based.”
The NFL released the following statement after the initial ruling:
“We are disappointed with the jury’s verdict today in the NFL Sunday Ticket class action lawsuit. We continue to believe that our media distribution strategy, which features all 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+, is by far the most fan-friendly distribution model in all of sports and entertainment.
“We will certainly contest this decision as we believe that the class action claims in this case are baseless and without merit. We thank the jury for their time and service and for the guidance and oversight from Judge Gutierrez throughout the trial.”
The lawsuit, covered 2.4 million residential subscribers and 48,000 businesses in the United States, claimed the league broke antitrust laws by selling the package at an inflated price.