The Red Sox slugger is being sued by rap star Jay-Z and his business partner for naming his night club in the Dominican Republic “Forty/Forty,” according to a Reuters report.
Jay-Z and Juan Perez own 40/40 clubs in New York City, Atlantic City and Las Vegas and plan to open two more in Tokyo and Macau in the near future.
They have accused Ortiz of “trading on the fame, value and goodwill” of their name, resulting in “marketplace confusion and damage,” the report said.
“David Ortiz is fully aware of plaintiff’s Manhattan 40/40 Club, since he had been a patron there on several occasions long before he opened his infringing Forty/Forty Club,” said the lawsuit, which was filed in Manhattan federal court.
It’s been a hard knock life for Big Papi at the plate this season, and now he needs to figure things out in the courtroom, too.
