Aug. 20--Michael Jordan has been forced to wait an extra day before jurors begin deliberating in his federal court case against defunct supermarket chain Dominick's.
U.S. District Judge John Blakey on Thursday delayed closing arguments at the end of the six-day trial until Friday morning.
Both sides finished presenting evidence Wednesday, but Blakey used Thursday to finalize the instructions he will give jurors.
Dominick's was previously found liable by the court for using Jordan's name and identity without permission in a 2009 special issue of Sports Illustrated. Jurors must decide how much Dominick's owner Safeway must pay for the gaffe.
Jordan and his advisers say the rights Dominick's took without permission were worth $10 million, but an expert hired by Dominick's put the fair price at just $126,900.
Blakey refused Thursday to give instructions that he said would decide for jurors which of the two sides' competing methodologies for calculating the price is the correct one. Deciding how much weight to give each method is jurors' main job in the case, he said.
kjanssen@tribpub.com
