AUTOS

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Sues General Motors Corp.: The ex-Los Angeles Lakers star also sued a Chicago-based advertising firm, alleging that they used his name in an ad without his permission. Abdul-Jabbar alleges in the federal lawsuit that the automotive giant used the name Lew Alcindor--his birth name, which he used until 1971--in an Oldsmobile commercial. The suit alleges that the ads ran in March and April without his permission and damaged his reputation, causing him emotional distress. The Leo Burnett Co., which apparently designed and created the ads for GM, is named as a defendant in the suit. Representatives for both firms were unavailable for comment. Abdul-Jabbar seeks $500,000 in compensatory damages and $8 million in punitive damages.