What $4 billion lawsuit verdict means for NFL and fans after biggest ever court loss

A $4 billion verdict was reached in the federal class action lawsuit filed by “Sunday Ticket” subscribers against the NFL .

On Thursday, a jury in Los Angeles found the NFL liable in the watershed case, determining that the league did in fact break antitrust laws by selling its “Sunday Ticket” package at an inflated price. According to journalist Meghann Cuniff, plaintiffs that fall under the residential customer category have been awarded $4.7 billion, while commercial establishments were granted an additional $96 million.

Under federal antitrust laws, these damages will be tripled, raising the total amount owed by the NFL to over $14 billion.

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The NFL will be able to appeal the verdict, arguing that the damages it has been asked to hand over are both unreasonable and excessive. Should the league continue to fight the ruling, the case could eventually reach the U.S. Supreme Court.

Addressing the jury’s decision, the NFL wrote in an official statement: "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."

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The plaintiffs - representing more than 2.4 million residential subscribers and over 48,000 commercial establishments that bought “Sunday Ticket” - argued that the NFL sold the bundle of out-of-market games at a deliberately high price, as well as limited competition by making it available only via satellite provider.

During the trial, evidence was uncovered of ESPN’s offer to assume ownership of “Sunday Ticket” - which is currently priced at $349 per year on YouTube TV - and sell it instead at $70. This proposal was ultimately turned down, however.

Bill Carmody, the lawyer representing the plaintiffs in the case, described the ruling as “a great verdict for the consumers of America,” additionally commending the jury for ignoring “the star power of the defendants.” Earlier this month, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones took the stand in federal court.

While appearing as a witness, Goodell asserted that the high price of “Sunday Ticket” aligned with the top-tier product that customers were receiving. “We have been clear throughout that it is a premium product. Not just on pricing but quality,” he said. “Fans make that choice whether they wanted it or not. I’m sure there were fans who said it was too costly.”