Michael Jordan Gets $8.9 Million In Lawsuit Against Grocery Store Chain

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Michael Jordan had a really good Friday. His Airness walked away the victor in a lawsuit against a grocery store chain that decided to use his likeness in an advertisement for steak without his consent back in 2009. As a result, the now-defunct Dominick’s Finer Foods will have to pay Jordan $8.9 million:

“I’m so used to playing on a different court,” a visibly delighted Jordan told reporters outside the courthouse. “This shows I will protect my name to the fullest. … It’s my name and I worked hard for it … and I’m not just going to let someone take it.”

The lawsuit stemmed from an ad that Dominick’s Finer Foods placed in Sports Illustrated in an attempt to honor Jordan for being inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame. It said that Jordan was “a cut above” and included a $2 coupon for steak, which Jordan’s lawyer argued compared the five-time NBA MVP to a piece of steak.

Jordan and his lawyers were originally seeking a little bit more than what he was awarded. Before the trial began, the NBA legend and his legal team argued that his name is worth $480 million to Nike and $10 million for every commercial use. As we pointed out, this evaluation isn’t that crazy, because Jordan is now worth more than a billion dollars.

The final amount isn’t a dent against Jordan since the hall of famer doesn’t plan on keeping the money, intending to donate the settlement to multiple charities in Chicago.

(via Yahoo!)

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