47亿美元赔偿额将重新审理：第九巡回法院恢复NFL「周日门票」反垄断责任裁决
据路透社10月30日报道，总部位于旧金山的美国联邦第九巡回上诉法院当天裁定，恢复陪审团关于国家橄榄球联盟（NFL）通过「周日门票」（Sunday Ticket）电视转播安排违反联邦反垄断法的责任裁决，推翻了加州一名联邦地区法官此前撤销约47亿美元赔偿裁决的决定；但巡回法院同时认定陪审团在计算赔偿额时有误，下令就赔偿金额重新审理。
这宗集体诉讼于2015年提起，指控 NFL 与 DIRECTV 通过独家捆绑销售「周日门票」限制竞争：球迷与酒吧、餐馆等商业订户若想观看本地 CBS 与 Fox 附属台之外的周日下午比赛，只能购买单一套餐。「周日门票」由 DIRECTV 独家经营近三十年，2023年转至谷歌旗下的 YouTube。
2024年，经过为期一个月的审判，联邦陪审团裁定 NFL 向住宅订户赔偿约46亿美元、向商业订户赔偿约9,600万美元，合计约47亿美元；按联邦反垄断法，赔偿额在成为正式判决后可增至三倍，总额可能超过140亿美元。此后，美国地区法官 Philip Gutierrez 以原告方经济专家证言依赖不可靠的假设与有缺陷的计算为由，撤销了该裁决。
第九巡回法院三名法官组成的小组在本次裁定中认为，地区法官不当排除了原告方用于证明 NFL 转播安排导致订阅价格上涨的专家证言，责任裁决应予恢复；但陪审团「显然是基于对证据的不当考量、而非按照地区法院的指示」作出赔偿裁定，这一点构成就赔偿额重新审理的理由。案件将发回地区法院：恢复陪审团的责任裁决，并举行新的赔偿额审判。
据报道，NFL 尚未就裁定公开发表评论。新的赔偿审判可能得出更低、相近或更高的金额；NFL 也可以选择向美国最高法院上诉。
来源：GSM·美国
Ninth Circuit Reinstates NFL 'Sunday Ticket' Liability Verdict and Orders New Trial on $4.7 Billion in Damages
A U.S. federal appeals court on October 30 reinstated a jury's verdict that the National Football League violated federal antitrust laws through its "Sunday Ticket" television distribution agreements, reversing a lower court decision that had thrown out a nearly $4.7 billion verdict against the league two years ago, Reuters reported. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, based in San Francisco, agreed, however, that the jury erred in calculating damages and ordered a new trial on how much the NFL should pay.
The class action, filed in 2015, accused the NFL and DIRECTV of restricting competition by requiring consumers and commercial establishments to purchase a single package to watch Sunday afternoon games unavailable through local CBS and Fox affiliates. DIRECTV carried Sunday Ticket for nearly three decades before the package moved to Google's YouTube in 2023.
Following a monthlong trial in 2024, a federal jury awarded approximately $4.6 billion to residential subscribers and another $96 million to commercial customers, including bars and restaurants. Under federal antitrust law, damages can be tripled once a verdict becomes an official judgment, which could have pushed the total above $14 billion. U.S. District Judge Philip Gutierrez subsequently overturned the verdict, ruling that economic experts retained by the plaintiffs had relied on unreliable assumptions and flawed calculations.
The three-judge Ninth Circuit panel ruled that the district judge improperly excluded expert testimony used by subscribers to establish that the NFL's television distribution arrangements resulted in higher subscription prices, and ordered the liability verdict reinstated. But the panel wrote that the jury "clearly awarded damages based on its improper consideration of the evidence rather than according to the district court's instructions," which warrants a new trial on damages. The case returns to the district court to reinstate the liability verdict and hold the new damages trial.
The NFL has yet to release a public comment on the ruling, according to reports. A new trial could result in a lower, similar, or higher final award, and the league also has the option of appealing to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Source: GSM · USA
来源：GSM·美国（原文链接）
图片来源：图：加州英格尔伍德的 SoFi 体育场，NFL 比赛场馆之一。Ron Reiring 摄，CC BY 2.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, an NFL venue. Photo by Ron Reiring, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
