An 18-year-old baseball enthusiast, Max Matus, has sparked a legal showdown in a bid to halt the auction of Shohei Ohtani’s 50th home run ball. The prized baseball, signifying Ohtani’s landmark 50th home run achievement of the season, is anticipated to ignite bidding wars commencing at an impressive $500,000 mark.
Matus has lodged a lawsuit in Florida, asserting that the ball, currently in possession of another fan, Chris Belanski, was unjustly snatched from him during the September 19 game at loanDepot Park in Miami. The legal action implicates Belanski’s acquaintance, Kelvin Ramirez, alleging that Matus originally secured the ball before Belanski aggressively seized it away.
According to legal claims, Matus, reveling in his 18th birthday at the game, had securely grasped the ball with his left hand when Belanski intervened, forcefully prying it away from Matus’s clutch. Seeking to impede the auction, Matus has urged for the ball’s safekeeping in an agreed secure locale until a judicial resolution is reached.
Despite the litigious dispute, Goldin Auctions, the renowned New Jersey auction house overseeing the sale, is resolute in its intent to proceed with the auction. Following a Miami judge’s rejection of Matus’s plea for a temporary restraining order halting the auction, the sale progresses unabated as scheduled.
Reacting to the legal challenge, Goldin Auctions responded via ESPN, affirming their readiness to commence the auction of the Ohtani 50/50 ball following a review of the lawsuit allegations, accompanying images, and publicly accessible game footage.
The 11th Judicial Circuit Court in Miami-Dade County has granted Matus’s legal representatives an opportunity to present their case before the auction’s closure on October 16. A favorable ruling in Matus’s favor could potentially entitle him to a portion of the ball’s auction proceeds.
Ken Goldin, the CEO of Goldin Auctions, disclosed that Belanski contacted them the day after Ohtani’s extraordinary game to arrange for the auction. Sources also reveal that the Los Angeles Dodgers had proffered Belanski $300,000 for the ball, an offer he rebuffed in favor of the auction route.
Commencing with a “buy-it-now” price of $4.5 million open until October 9, should bids meet $3 million before this deadline, the buy-it-now alternative will be rescinded, and bidding will continue until October 16.
As the auction unfolds, Matus’s legal entanglement injects a captivating layer of intrigue into the unfolding narrative of one of the year’s most momentous sports memorabilia sales. The eyes of collectors, baseball aficionados, and legal pundits are keenly fixed on the evolving developments of this gripping saga.
Interested bidders are encouraged to participate in the auction hosted on Goldin Auctions’ platform.
