INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana Pacers president Larry Bird has settled a lawsuit he brought against a couple he claimed used his name without permission to promote a bed-and-breakfast in his former hometown in southern Indiana.
Terms of the settlement were not disclosed because both sides signed a confidentiality agreement, said Lee McNeely, a lawyer representing the 12-acre resort called the “Legend of French Lick.”
“All we can say is no comment, or the lawsuit has been settled,” McNeely said Wednesday. “That’s the agreement that the lawyers on both sides entered into so we wouldn’t get into a back-and-forth as to who did better, who won.”
The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in May and dismissed Sept. 16, claimed Georgianna Lincoln and Christopher Cooke did not have permission to use the NBA Hall of Famer’s name with the property and were profiting off his trademark by stating the home belonged to him.
The Web site for the French Lick resort advertised the property as “the former home of Larry Bird.”
As a star with the Boston Celtics, Bird picked up various nicknames including “the Hick from French Lick” and the “Legend of French Lick.” He later trademarked his name and likeness with U.S. Patent and Trademark office to control their use.
Telephone messages seeking comment were left by The Associated Press for Bird and for his lawyer, Michael A. Wukmer.
Local News
3:36 p.m.: Larry Bird settles lawsuit with owners of former home
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