Ruling a slam dunk for Jordan
CHICAGO — A jury on Friday ordered a defunct grocery store chain to pay Michael Jordan $8.9 million for using the former Chicago Bulls basketball star’s name without permission.
Jurors had to calculate how much the nowdefunct grocery chain Dominick’s should pay Jordan for invoking his name in an ad without permission. They sent one note to the judge, saying: “We need a calculator.”
Jordan’s lawyer suggested the ad was worth $10 million.
Dominick’s attorney Steven Mandell said he’s as proud as anyone about the championships Jordan brought to Chicago. But he said jurors should award him no more than $126,000.
Jordan testified earlier in the week that his image is precious to him, which is why he filed a lawsuit against Dominick’s Finer Foods, which has acknowledged it wasn’t authorized to use Jordan’s image in a 2009 magazine ad. One witness testified that Jordan made $100 million from his identity last year, even though he last played in the NBA in 2003.