9th Circ. Upholds Jury Award in NFL Ticket Charges Case

GRAND RAPIDS, MI. - The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit reinstated a major verdict against the National Football League on Friday, October 30, 2026, while ordering a new trial solely on damages in the long-running antitrust litigation over the Sunday Ticket package.

Subscribers challenged the distribution practices of the National Football League and forced a legal reckoning over pricing structures. The appellate panel reviewed previous trial proceedings and rejected the complete dismissal that the league secured earlier, returning the dispute back to the lower courts.

A federal jury initially ordered the National Football League to pay 4.7 billions of dollars on Friday, June 28, 2024, after finding that the organization violated federal antitrust laws through its subscription packaging. The litigation progressed through months of appeals, during which appellate judges questioned both sides extensively during hearings on Monday, March 9, 2026.

The reinstated verdict preserves the underlying liability findings against the National Football League. Both parties now prepare for new judicial proceedings to determine the correct financial penalties and damages owed to subscribers.

In re National Football League's Sunday Ticket Antitrust Litigation, No. 24-5493 (9th Cir. Oct. 30, 2026); https://cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/opinions/2026/10/30/24-5493.pdf