NBA: Supermarket chain must pay Michael Jordan $8.9 million

Michael Jordan leaves the U.S. courthouse Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2015, in Chicago. after the first day of his civil trial against the defunct grocery-store chain Dominick’s Finer Foods for using his name and jersey number without permission. AP

CHICAGO, United States—NBA legend Michael Jordan was awarded $8.9 million by a Chicago jury on Friday in a case against a supermarket chain which included his name in a promotion without his permission.

“I’m pleased with today’s verdict,” Jordan said in a statement. “No one—whether or not they’re a public figure—should have to worry about their identity being used without their permission.”

Dominick’s in 2009 used Jordan’s name in a commemorative ad in Sports Illustrated when the former Chicago Bulls superstar was inducted into the Hall of Fame.

Lawyers for the now-closed grocery store chain—which was taken over by Safeway—had said Jordan should receive $126,900 for the unauthorized use of his name.

Jordan argued that he wouldn’t have accepted such a deal based on his endorsement history and his legal team determined with the help of a sports economist that using his name in the ad was worth $10 million.

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