On Friday, a federal judge overturned a $4.7 billion dollar jury verdict related to the ‘Sunday Ticket’ lawsuit, ruling in favor of the National Football League (NFL).
The lawsuit was originally brought by several bar owners, sports fans and DirecTV customers against the NFL and DirecTV. The plaintiffs argued that the Sunday Ticket package, which allows viewers to watch out-of-market NFL games, is an unlawful monopoly that drives up prices for consumers.
However, U.S. District Judge Beverly Reid O’Connell disagreed and granted the NFL’s and DirecTV’s motion for judgement as a matter of law, effectively tossing out the massive verdict previously awarded to the plaintiffs by the jury.
The judge holding is essentially that the plaintiffs failed to prove that the Sunday Ticket Package violates federal antitrust laws. As per Judge O’Connell, exclusive contracts such as the one between the NFL and DirecTV are not inherently unlawful.
This ruling is a major victory for the NFL and DirecTV, as $4.7 billion is a significant amount of money. Plaintiffs, however, can potentially appeal this decision, so this may not be the end of the legal battle.
