Max Matus, an 18-year-old baseball enthusiast, has found himself in the middle of a legal skirmish over Shohei Ohtani’s iconic 50th home run ball. The ball, symbolizing Ohtani’s milestone achievement during the season, is about to kick off a spirited auction where bids are projected to kickstart at a staggering $500,000.
Legal woes arose when Matus initiated legal proceedings to prevent the auction of the prized baseball, presently in possession of another aficionado, Chris Belanski. Matus alleges in a lawsuit lodged in Florida that during a game at loanDepot Park in Miami on September 19, the ball was unlawfully snatched away from him by Belanski, with the aid of his friend, Kelvin Ramirez.
In the legal document, Matus contends that he had firmly secured the ball in his left hand when Belanski aggressively seized it, thus transforming the celebratory moment into a contentious fracas. Matus is now advocating to halt the auction and has urged for the ball to be secured in a mutually agreed location until a judicial resolution is reached.
Despite Matus’s legal maneuvers, Goldin Auctions, the reputable auction house in New Jersey overseeing the sale, stands firm in its decision to carry on with the auction. Recently, a Miami judge dismissed Matus’s plea for a temporary restraining order to halt the auction, thereby green-lighting the event as planned.
Responding to the legal fracas, Goldin Auctions released a statement to ESPN asserting their awareness of the lawsuit and their commitment to proceed with the auction. According to them, after evaluating the claims and evidence presented, Goldin Auctions is resolute in launching the auction of the esteemed Ohtani 50/50 ball.
The 11th Judicial Circuit Court in Miami-Dade County has granted Matus’s legal team the opportunity to present their arguments before the auction’s closure on October 16. Should Matus emerge victorious, he stands to potentially claim a piece of the proceeds generated from the ball’s sale.
Ken Goldin, the CEO of Goldin Auctions, divulged that Belanski swiftly contacted them post-Ohtani’s historic game to arrange the auction. Allegedly, the Los Angeles Dodgers previously proffered $300,000 to Belanski for the ball, an offer he rebuffed in favor of opting for the auction route.
The auction commences with a tantalizing “buy-it-now” price tag of $4.5 million, accessible until October 9. In the event that bids soar to $3 million before the specified date, the buy-it-now feature will be rescinded, and the bidding war will ensue until October 16.
With the auction gaining momentum, Matus’s lawsuit has added a captivating layer to the unfolding narrative surrounding one of the year’s most noteworthy sports memorabilia transactions. Enthusiasts, collectors, and legal pundits are attentively observing the case’s evolution with bated breath.
For those eager to own this symbolic piece of baseball history, the opportunity to place a bid on the coveted ball is now open at Goldin Auctions.
