09:17 AM PDT on Wednesday, July 12, 2006

By PAT DOORIS for kgw.com

Some might wonder how Allen Heckard decided to sue Nike founder Phil Knight and basketball superstar Michael Jordan for $416 million each.

kgw.com

The damages, a total of $832 million, were listed in Heckard's June 29 filing in Washington County Circuit Court for defamation and permanent injury. Heckard, who lives in Northeast Portland, said he's tired of being mistaken for his more famous twin.

"Well, you figure with my age and you multiply that times seven and ah, then I turn around and ah I figure that's what it all boils down to,"  Heckard said.

The question remains – is the occasional confusion with an admired celebrity worth $800 million.

“Well,” said Heckard, “You never can put a value on a person's life. You know you're taking my lifestyle away from me. So you know...we'll let the ball bounce like Michael does...where it’s supposed to fall."

Jordan has not commented on the lawsuit.

(kgw.com reporter Kristina Brenneman contributed to this report.)