Michael Jordan entered a courtroom today for a lawsuit that he filed against Dominick’s Finer Foods for a steak ad they posted mentioning Jordan’s name without his permission.
Here are the details via ESPN:
The trial in the city where Jordan won six NBA championships with the Bulls stems from a lawsuit he filed against the now-defunct Dominick’s Finer Foods for the 2009 ad in Sports Illustrated that congratulated him on his induction into the Basketball Hall of Fame. Text above a $2 coupon and photograph of a steak read, “Michael Jordan … You are a cut above.”
Jordan, 52, entered through the front doors of the courthouse Tuesday after Judge John Blakey denied his request to use a security tunnel. A relaxed-looking Jordan walked through a metal detector as dozens of reporters and passers-by looked on, pulling an ID from his wallet and showing it to security.
Opening statements were scheduled for Wednesday. Jury selection was completed Tuesday, with lawyers for Dominick’s questioning would-be jurors about whether Jordan’s stardom would tilt their findings in his favor.
A separate judge previously ruled that Dominick’s did, in fact, use Jordan’s identity without permission, so the unresolved issue is damages. Jurors could decide to award Jordan millions of dollars or, if they decide no notable damage was done to his image, nothing at all.
One juror had to be let go by the judge after saying that he ‘idolized’ Jordan. It will be interesting to see how this trial plays out. I think Jordan could have done without the lawsuit. The ad wasn’t damaging to his image at all. He doesn’t need the extra money. I think that if the grocery store agreed to take the ad down, that should’ve been enough.
