Sept. 17 (Bloomberg) -- Target Corp., the second-largest U.S. discounter, was sued by former professional tennis star Andre Agassi, who said the retail chain used his name on a line of sports sandals without permission.

Agassi, an Olympic gold medal winner who captured eight Grand Slam titles, accused Minneapolis-based Target of illegally using his name on more than 52,500 pairs of ``Agassi'' sandals sold at stores and through Internet retailer Amazon.com Inc.

``Target's expansive retail outlet chain presents a substantial risk that the infringing articles remain for sale to the public,'' Agassi Enterprises Inc., the athlete's licensing company, said in a Sept. 14 trademark-infringement complaint in federal court in Las Vegas.

Agassi, 37, accused Target of failing to keep a promise to remove the sandals from store shelves. Agassi Enterprises discovered the sandals in June and confronted Target because it didn't have a license to use his name, according to the complaint.

Target spokeswoman Amy VonWalter said today in an e-mailed statement that the company is working ``to rectify the situation'' at its 1,537 U.S. stores.

``Since learning of the issue earlier this summer, Target has made every effort to rebrand the merchandise in our stores and on Target.com,'' VonWalter said.

Target's Practice

Target told Agassi's lawyers in July that the sandals at issue in the case are consistent with the retailer's practice of using men's names on certain footwear, according to the complaint.

Agassi, a Nevada native, has licensed his name to athletic- shoe makers such as Nike Inc. and Adidas AG, he said in court papers.

Target sells a portion of its footwear under the Mossimo brand owned by Iconix Brand Group Inc. The collection includes ``Anthony Leather Foot'' sandals, ``Crazyhorse Leather Flip- Flops'' and ``Xerxes Dress Oxfords.'' The Mossimo Agassi Sandal is no longer available on Target's Web site.

Agassi, who earned more than $30 million in prize money during his professional tennis career, is one of only five men to have won all four Grand Slam singles events, the U.S., French and Australian Open tournaments and Wimbledon, in England. He retired in 2006 to focus on charity. His Andre Agassi Charitable Association helps underprivileged children in Las Vegas.

Target shares fell $1.10 to $63.41 in New York Stock Exchange composite trading.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is the largest U.S. retailer and discounter.

The case is Agassi Enterprises Inc. v. Target Corp., 2:07- cv-01252, U.S. District Court, District of Nevada (Las Vegas).

To contact the reporter on this story: Erik Larson in New York at elarson4@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: September 17, 2007 18:42 EDT