CHICAGO – A jury has ordered a defunct grocery store chain to pay Michael Jordan $8.9 million for using his name.
Jurors returned the verdict Friday night.
They had to calculate how much the now-defunct grocery chain Dominick’s should pay the former Chicago Bulls basketball player for invoking his name in an ad without permission. They sent one note to the judge, saying: “We need a calculator.”
In his closing argument, Jordan attorney Frederick Sperling appealed to city pride, saying about Jordan as he sat nearby: “He gave us six (NBA) championships.”
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.