A California judge, Philip Gutierrez, overturned a $4.7 billion verdict against the NFL, which was related to alleged overcharging for the Sunday Ticket game telecasts.
– The NFL argued the verdict was unjustified and a result of a "runaway" jury, leading to the judge’s ruling in their favor. – –
– The NFL welcomed the ruling, asserting that their media distribution model offers various options for fans to watch games. – –
– Subscribers claimed Sunday Ticket prices were inflated to limit subscriptions and protect local broadcast rights, but the judge found insufficient evidence. – –
– Gutierrez's 16-page order dismissed key testimony from two witnesses for the subscribers and deemed the jury's damages verdict unsupported. –
– The judge ruled that there were too many defects in the case for it to continue, as plaintiffs failed to prove actual damages. – –
– The court’s ruling, which grants judgment to the NFL, can be appealed to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. – –
– The June 27 jury verdict had awarded $4.6 billion for residential subscriptions and $96.9 million for commercial subscriptions, based on the alleged overcharges. – –
– The NFL had called the damages amount "nonsensical" and denied any overcharging, while subscribers accused the NFL of relying on conjecture. –
1. U.S. antitrust law’s provision for tripling damages could have potentially increased the verdict to $14 billion, had the initial ruling stood.–
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