Max Matus, an 18-year-old baseball enthusiast, has stirred up a legal storm by initiating legal action to halt the auction of Shohei Ohtani’s 50th home run ball, set to kick off on Friday with starting bids estimated at $500,000.
The crux of the legal dispute lies in Matus’s claim, outlined in a lawsuit filed in Florida. He maintains that the ball, now in possession of fellow fan Chris Belanski, was unlawfully taken from him during the September 19 game at loanDepot Park in Miami. The lawsuit further implicates Belanski’s friend, Kelvin Ramirez, alleging that Matus had secured possession of the ball initially before Belanski forcefully wrested it away from him.
During the game, Matus, celebrating his 18th birthday, firmly grasped the historic ball with his left hand, only for Belanski to allegedly intervene and use his arm to snatch it away. Seeking to prevent the auction, Matus has urged for the ball to be stored in a mutually agreed upon secure location until the court reaches a verdict.
Despite Matus’s legal maneuvers, Goldin Auctions, the New Jersey-based auction house managing the sale, remains undeterred, vowing to proceed with the auction as planned. A Miami judge recently rejected Matus’s plea for a temporary restraining order, granting the auction the green light to move forward.
In response to the legal entanglement, Goldin Auctions released a statement to ESPN, declaring their intent to proceed with the auction after reviewing the lawsuit allegations and game footage. The auction is bound to conclude on October 16, with the Miami-Dade County’s 11th Judicial Circuit Court providing Matus’s legal team with the opportunity to state their case before the auction’s closure.
CEO of Goldin Auctions, Ken Goldin, disclosed that Belanski swiftly reached out to set up the auction just a day post-Ohtani’s historic game. Despite a $300,000 offer from the Los Angeles Dodgers, which Belanski rebuffed in favor of the auction, the ball is primed to kick off the bidding festivities.
The auction’s launch includes a tempting “buy-it-now” price tag of $4.5 million available till October 9. Should bids skyrocket to $3 million before the deadline, the “buy-it-now” option will be rescinded, and the bidding will persist until October 16.
Amidst the auction’s progressing dynamics, Matus’s lawsuit introduces a fresh layer of complexity into the unfolding narrative surrounding one of the year’s most pivotal sports memorabilia sales. With collectors, baseball aficionados, and legal pundits eagerly observing the case, the showdown over Ohtani’s 50th home run ball promises a riveting spectacle for all involved.
Catch all the auction action at Goldin Auctions as the legal battle rages on!