Max Matus, an 18-year-old baseball enthusiast, has plunged into a legal tussle to prevent the auction of Shohei Ohtani’s coveted 50th home run ball, set to kick off this Friday. This special baseball gem is anticipated to ignite a bidding war commencing at a staggering $500,000.
Matus has taken legal action in Florida, asserting that the ball, currently under the possession of another fan named Chris Belanski, was wrongfully snatched from him during the September 19 game at loanDepot Park in Miami. In a lawsuit that also implicates Belanski’s associate, Kelvin Ramirez, Matus alleges that he initially held the ball before Belanski forcibly seized it away from him.
The lawsuit recounts that Matus, present at the game to celebrate his 18th birthday, firmly grasped the ball with his left hand when Belanski intervened, using his arm to wrench it from Matus’s clutches. Seeking to impede the auction, Matus has appealed for the ball to be safeguarded in a mutually agreed secure location until a judicial decision is reached.
Despite Matus’s legal efforts, Goldin Auctions, the New Jersey-based auction house overseeing the sale, has affirmed its intent to proceed with the auction. Subsequently, a Miami judge rejected Matus’s plea for a temporary restraining order that would have paused the auction, thus allowing it to progress as scheduled.
In response to the legal dispute, Goldin Auctions issued a statement to ESPN, indicating, “We are aware of the case that has been filed. Having reviewed the allegations and images included in the lawsuit, and publicly available video from the game, Goldin plans to go live with the auction of the Ohtani 50/50 ball.”
The 11th Judicial Circuit Court in Miami-Dade County will grant Matus’s legal team the opportunity to make their case before the auction concludes on October 16. Should they triumph, Matus may potentially receive a portion of the proceeds from the ball’s sale.
Ken Goldin, CEO of Goldin Auctions, divulged that Belanski had reached out to them the day after Ohtani’s milestone game to arrange the auction. Allegedly, the Los Angeles Dodgers had proffered Belanski $300,000 for the ball, an offer which he declined in favor of entering it into auction.
The auction inauguration boasts a “buy-it-now” price of $4.5 million, accessible until October 9. If bids soar to $3 million before this deadline, the buy-it-now alternative will vanish, and the bidding will extend through October 16.
The ongoing auction, intertwined with Matus’s legal challenge, introduces a fresh layer of complexity to the narrative surrounding one of the most momentous sports memorabilia transactions of the year. This captivating saga will captivate collectors, baseball aficionados, and legal pundits alike, as they observe with bated breath how the situation unfolds.
Feel the thrill of the bidding action at Goldin!
