Nearly six years after the Chicago Bulls great sued Jewel-Osco and Dominick’s over the use of his name in a 2009 limited-edition issue of Sports Illustrated, a spokesman for the grocers’ parent company told the Chicago Sun-Times a deal has been reached settling the pair of cases now in federal court.
The NBA legend won a slam-dunk $8.9 million verdict against Dominick’s after a summer trial at the Dirksen Federal Courthouse. Jordan appeared daily in the downtown courtroom and even took the witness stand. Weeks later, his lawyers revealed that settlement talks were underway to resolve the remaining lawsuit against Jewel, which was set for trial Dec. 8.
Jordan sued Jewel and Dominick’s after each published an ad in a limited-edition issue of Sports Illustrated to commemorate his induction into basketball’s hall of fame in 2009. Jewel’s ad featured a pair of white-and-red sneakers with the number “23” on the tongues. It called Jordan “a shoe in” and saluted “a fellow Chicagoan who was ‘just around the corner’ for so many years.”
The Dominick’s ad went further. It used Jordan’s name and number “23” and included a $2-off coupon for a Rancher’s Reserve steak.
Dowling declined to comment on how the settlement will affect the $8.9 million verdict against Dominick’s. Lawyers for the now-defunct grocer have called the verdict “grossly excessive,” and they have asked U.S. District Judge John Blakey to either reduce the amount Jordan could collect or order a new trial.
Blakey canceled all pending hearings in that case Friday.
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