Michael Jordan was awarded $8.9 million in a court ruling handed down by a jury in Chicago on Friday night in a case against a supermarket chain who included his name in a promotion without consent.
Dominick’s, a now-shuttered grocery chain in the Chicago area, in 2009 used Jordan’s name in a commemorative ad in Sports Illustrated when the former Chicago Bulls great was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
Lawyers for Dominick’s, which was taken over by Safeway, said Jordan should receive $126,900 for the use of his name. Jordan’s attorneys argued that he wouldn’t have accepted such a deal based on his endorsement history and determined with the help of a sports economist that using Jordan’s name in the ad was worth $10 million.
“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. The case was not about the money as I plan to donate the proceeds to charity. It was about honesty and integrity.
“I hope this case sends a clear message, both here in the United States and around the world, that I will continue to be vigilant about protecting my name and identity. I also hope the size of the monetary reward will deter others from using someone else’s identity and believe they will only pay a small penalty.”