$73 Million: How's That for an Early Termination Fee …

Sprint Nextel is finally reconsidering its $200 early termination fee, albeit under duress. A California judge ruled Tuesday that the company must pay $73 million to the nearly two million class-action customers who sued it for slapping them with early-termination fees (ETFs). The judge’s order, which is still tentative, requires Sprint (S) to pay $18.25 million to customers who sued the company for charging them to get out of their contracts early, as well as an additional $54.75 million in credits to those who were assessed but never paid the early-termination fees. Seems the judge felt ETFs are more about tackling customers on their way out the door than about recouping the cost of subsidizing handsets. “Now that the ruling is in, the outcome is clear,” said Scott Bursor, an attorney representing the plaintiff. “We won this trial. And Sprint lost. Convincingly.”

The ruling comes as the Federal Communications Commission considers regulating ETFs on a nationwide basis.