NFL Sunday Ticket Lawsuit: 9th Circuit Ruling and Payouts
The 9th Circuit revived the NFL Sunday Ticket verdict and ordered a new damages trial. See who is in the class and why no payout exists yet.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit reinstated the jury's liability verdict against the National Football League (NFL) on October 30, 2026. It also affirmed a new trial on damages, so the roughly $4.7 billion award no longer stands.
The NFL Sunday Ticket lawsuit has a liability verdict again, but it has no damages figure and no payout amount. DirecTV residential and commercial subscribers who purchased NFL Sunday Ticket between June 17, 2011 and February 7, 2023 fall within the class definitions on the official notice site, NFLSundayTicketLawsuit.com. That site's text pre-dates the October 30, 2026 ruling, and it says there is no claim form and no money available now.
The case is In re National Football League's "Sunday Ticket" Antitrust Litigation, Nos. 24-5493 and 24-5691 at the Ninth Circuit. A Reuters report carried by GV Wire summarized the result. The Ninth Circuit reversed the California federal judge who threw out the $4.7 billion verdict after the 2024 trial. Reuters says the NFL "can have a new trial on damages."
What the 9th Circuit Decided
The Ninth Circuit reinstated the jury's finding that the NFL is liable to Sunday Ticket subscribers, and it upheld the order for a new trial on damages. According to the published Ninth Circuit opinion filed October 30, 2026, the panel reversed the district court's judgment as a matter of law for the NFL. It remanded the case with instructions to reinstate the jury's liability verdict and hold a new damages trial.
Judge Anthony D. Johnstone wrote the opinion for a panel that included Judge Holly A. Thomas and District Judge Joan H. Lefkow, sitting by designation. The appeal came from the Central District of California, where District Judge Philip S. Gutierrez presided. The panel heard argument on March 9, 2026.
The plaintiffs are DirecTV subscribers, both residential and commercial, who sued the NFL in 2015 under Sections 1 and 2 of the Sherman Act. The opinion describes their claim as follows: three interlocking agreements caused them to pay inflated prices for Sunday Ticket, a bundled package of out-of-market NFL game telecasts. Those agreements are the Teams-NFL Agreement, the NFL-Networks Agreements and the NFL-DirecTV Agreement.
Several things have not happened yet. No date has been set for the new damages trial in any source read, no new damages amount exists, and no claim process has been announced.
Who Is in the Sunday Ticket Class
The NFL Sunday Ticket class action covers DirecTV subscribers who purchased Sunday Ticket between June 17, 2011 and February 7, 2023, split into residential and commercial classes. The definitions below come from the official notice site, case No. 2:15-ml-02668-PSG, and that text pre-dates the October 30, 2026 ruling.
| Class | Who Is in It | Period | Exclusions and Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Residential Damages Class | All DirecTV residential subscribers that purchased NFL Sunday Ticket | June 17, 2011 to February 7, 2023 | Opt-out deadline of October 8, 2023 has passed |
| Commercial Damages Class | All DirecTV commercial subscribers that purchased NFL Sunday Ticket | June 17, 2011 to February 7, 2023 | Opt-out deadline of October 8, 2023 has passed |
| Injunctive classes | Same definitions as the damages classes | June 17, 2011 to February 7, 2023 | Members could not opt out. The district court must decide whether to decertify them. |
| Received Sunday Ticket free | Not in the class | Any time | Excluded under the notice site FAQ |
| Bought NFLST.tv streaming without DirecTV satellite | Not in the class | Any time | Excluded under the notice site FAQ |
The notice site's FAQ page does not mention YouTube TV. Class membership is defined by DirecTV subscriptions.
The Ninth Circuit opinion counts 24,105,049 residential subscribers and 506,788 commercial subscribers in the United States during the class period. Residential list prices ran from $200 to nearly $400 per season, though DirecTV discounted them. Commercial subscribers such as sports bars paid from thousands of dollars to over $100,000 per season, depending on the size of the establishment.
Class certification itself was affirmed in a separate memorandum disposition filed the same day, as footnote 1 of the opinion describes. That memorandum affirmed class certification under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 23(b)(3). It also reversed judgment for the NFL on the subscribers' Clayton Act Section 16 injunctive claims. Finally, it sent back to the district court the question of whether the Rule 23(b)(2) injunctive classes should be decertified now that the NFL-DirecTV Agreement has expired.
Why the Court Ordered a New Damages Trial
The Ninth Circuit held that the district court acted within its discretion in ordering a new damages trial because the jury's method showed the award was not based on proper consideration of the evidence. The jury awarded $4,610,331,671.74 to the residential class and $96,928,272.90 to the commercial class, about $4.7 billion combined.
The opinion says the award was almost certainly built from one number, $191.26, multiplied by every subscriber. That figure is the 2018-2019 residential list price of $294 minus $102.74, which is Dr. Douglas Zona's disputed estimate of the average price residential subscribers paid over the class period. The math matches the residential award exactly: 24,105,049 subscribers times $191.26 equals $4,610,331,671.74.
The jury had been instructed that damages are the overcharge. That means the difference between the prices subscribers actually paid and the prices they would have paid without the anticompetitive conduct. The Ninth Circuit said the gap between the list price and the average price paid measured a discount and did not measure that overcharge.
The same $191.26 figure was applied to commercial subscribers. The opinion notes that commercial subscribers paid, on average, prices an order of magnitude higher than residential prices, and the jury's method did not account for them. For these reasons, the original award does not stand, and the case was remanded for a new damages trial.
Why the Court Revived the Liability Verdict
The Ninth Circuit revived the liability verdict because the district court went beyond its gatekeeping role when it excluded the subscribers' economic experts. Judge Gutierrez had excluded the testimony of Dr. Daniel Rascher and Dr. Douglas Zona under Federal Rule of Evidence 702 as unfounded and unreliable. He then granted the NFL judgment as a matter of law.
The panel held that ruling was an abuse of discretion. Under the opinion, a judge checks the reliability of an expert's methods and the sufficiency of the data. Opinions are not unfounded or unreliable merely because they can be impeached, and such opinions are for the jury to weigh.
The opinion also lays out the legal background of the case. In 1961 the NFL teams pooled their telecasting rights. Congress later passed the Sports Broadcasting Act, 15 U.S.C. 1291, which exempts joint sales of "sponsored telecasting" from Section 1 of the Sherman Act. Sponsored telecasting means free over-the-air broadcasts supported by advertising. The exemption does not cover league contracts with cable or satellite services that charge subscribers a fee.
DirecTV held the exclusive right to distribute out-of-market NFL telecasts to subscribers who paid an extra annual fee for Sunday Ticket.
NFL Sunday Ticket Lawsuit Timeline
The NFL Sunday Ticket lawsuit has run from a 2015 filing through a 2024 trial to the October 30, 2026 appeals ruling. The 2024 trial dates below come from the official notice site's verdict and appeals page, which says it will be updated after all appeals are complete.
| Date | Event | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | DirecTV subscribers sue the NFL under Sections 1 and 2 of the Sherman Act | Ninth Circuit opinion |
| June 6, 2024 | Trial begins | Official notice site |
| June 27, 2024 | Eight-member jury returns a verdict for the plaintiffs | Official notice site |
| August 1, 2024 | Judge Gutierrez grants the NFL judgment as a matter of law, setting aside the verdict | Official notice site |
| March 9, 2026 | Ninth Circuit hears argument | Ninth Circuit opinion |
| October 30, 2026 | Ninth Circuit reinstates the liability verdict and affirms a new damages trial | Ninth Circuit opinion |
What Happens Before Anyone Is Paid
No Sunday Ticket lawsuit payout exists, and money could come only from a new damages judgment or a court-approved settlement, followed by a distribution process the court approves. Class action cases have no standard payout amount. The guide to how class action settlements work explains those stages.
The official notice site says, "There is no money available now and no guarantee there ever will be." It says that if money becomes available, a separate notice will explain how to ask for a share. It also says class counsel would ask the court to approve attorneys' fees, expenses and possible incentive awards from any recovery.
Sports Media Watch reports that the NFL said it is "disappointed" and plans to seek further appellate review. No source read reports a filing, rehearing petition or schedule.
The following points are unknown as of November 2, 2026:
- When the new damages trial will be held.
- What amount a new jury might award.
- Whether the NFL will be granted rehearing or Supreme Court review.
- Whether the case will settle.
- Any claim process, claim deadline or per-person payout.
- The size of any attorneys' fee award.
What to Do Now
Sunday Ticket buyers can prepare by saving their purchase records, since the official notice site says class members do not need to take any action right now. Keep DirecTV account statements or Sunday Ticket receipts that show purchase dates between June 17, 2011 and February 7, 2023. Bars and restaurants should keep commercial account records for the same period.
The official notice site, NFLSundayTicketLawsuit.com, is run by the administrator JND Legal Administration and says a separate notice will explain how to ask for a share if money becomes available. Type that address into your browser instead of following links in unexpected emails or texts. Do not pay anyone who offers to "file" or "claim" a Sunday Ticket payment for you.
For background on claim forms once a settlement or judgment opens one, read the guide on how to claim settlement money, or browse the class actions section.
If you bought NFL Sunday Ticket through DirecTV between June 17, 2011 and February 7, 2023, you fall within the class as the notice site describes it unless you opted out by October 8, 2023. The notice site says you do not need to do anything now. Under the Ninth Circuit opinion, the $4.7 billion award does not stand and no replacement figure exists, so no specific payment can be expected. Any payment would need a new damages verdict or a settlement and a court-approved process. Further appeals, the damages trial or a settlement would change that timing. Bookmark the official notice site and keep your DirecTV records ready for any later claim notice in the NFL Sunday Ticket lawsuit.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happened to the NFL Sunday Ticket lawsuit?
On October 30, 2026, the Ninth Circuit reinstated the jury's liability verdict against the NFL and affirmed the order granting a new trial on damages. According to the official notice site, the NFL had won judgment as a matter of law in the district court on August 1, 2024. The case now returns to the Central District of California for a new damages trial.
Am I in the NFL Sunday Ticket class action?
The official notice site says the residential and commercial damages classes cover DirecTV subscribers who purchased NFL Sunday Ticket at any time between June 17, 2011 and February 7, 2023. People who got Sunday Ticket free and NFLST.tv buyers who were not DirecTV satellite subscribers are excluded. The deadline to opt out of the damages classes was October 8, 2023.
Do I need to file a claim in the NFL Sunday Ticket lawsuit?
No claim process has been announced. The official notice site says there is no claim form and no money available now, and that class members do not need to do anything right now. If money becomes available, the notice site says a separate notice will explain how to ask for a share.
Will NFL Sunday Ticket subscribers get a payout?
No payout amount exists after the October 30, 2026 ruling. Money in a class case comes only from a judgment or a court-approved settlement, followed by a claims or distribution process the court approves. The official notice site says there is no money available now and no guarantee there ever will be.
Why was the $4.7 billion verdict not restored?
The Ninth Circuit held that the district court acted within its discretion in ordering a new damages trial. The opinion found the award almost certainly came from multiplying every subscriber by $191.26, the gap between the $294 residential list price and an estimated $102.74 average price paid. The court said that gap measured a discount instead of the overcharge the jury was told to find, and it ignored the much higher prices commercial subscribers paid.
Will the NFL appeal the Sunday Ticket ruling?
Sports Media Watch reports that the NFL said it is disappointed and plans to seek further appellate review. No source read reports a rehearing petition, a filing or a schedule. Whether the NFL will be granted rehearing or Supreme Court review is unknown.
Did buyers who used the NFLST.tv streaming service or YouTube TV join the class?
Buyers of the NFLST.tv streaming service who were not DirecTV satellite subscribers are excluded, according to the official notice site's FAQ. The notice site does not mention YouTube TV. Class membership is defined by DirecTV subscriptions purchased between June 17, 2011 and February 7, 2023.
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