A federal judge overturned a $4.7 billion verdict against the National Football League over its Sunday Ticket broadcast package after finding that plaintiffs had presented expert testimony that included flawed analysis.

“This is a rare situation where it is clear, without speculation, that the award was based on improperly considered evidence,” District Court Judge Philip Gutierrez of Los Angeles wrote in his ruling Thursday, concluding that the jury had also deviated from his instructions at trial.

“The Court finds that the jury’s damages awards were not based on the “evidence and reasonable inferences” but instead were more akin to “guesswork or speculation.” 

The plaintiffs alleged that the NFL’s Sunday Ticket agreement with DirecTV violated antitrust law by overcharging residential and commercial subscribers for the out-of-market games package.

Attorneys at Susman Godfrey LLP, which represented the plaintiffs, did not immediately respond to an email Friday seeking comment.

The judge agreed with the NFL’s argument that jurors had arrived at their very specific damages awards for both residential and commercial Sunday Ticket subscribers through an incorrect analysis of listed retail prices and what customers actually paid.

Gutierrez said it was improper for an expert witness to use college football as a comparative model for the NFL, and that a second witness’s economic models applied to the case should be excluded.

The judge also said that if he had not found judgment as a matter of law appropriate, he would have vacated the damages verdict and “conditionally granted a new trial based on the jury’s irrational damages award.”

In a statement to Legal Dive, the NFL said it was “grateful” for the ruling and thanked Gutierrez for his “time and attention” to the case.

The jury reached its verdict on June 27 after a three-week trial. The league quickly appealed.