Young adult initiates legal action concerning Shohei Ohtani's notable 50-50 sphere, aims to halt its sale.
On September 19, the LA Dodgers star broke new grounds, smashing his 50th home run and swiping his 50th base in a dominant 20-4 victory against the Miami Marlins.
The historical souvenir was put up for auction by Goldin with a starting bid of $500,000 and a private purchase option of $4.5 million. The auction was scheduled to commence on Friday at noon ET, concluding on October 16.
However, Max Matus, an 18-year-old, filed a lawsuit in Florida's 11th Judicial Circuit Court on Wednesday, alleging that he is the rightful owner of the ball and has sought a "temporary injunction" to prevent its "concealment, absconding with or sale."
According to the lawsuit, Matus attended the Dodgers vs. Marlins game to celebrate his 18th birthday and successfully caught the ball. However, the complaint alleges that Chris Belanski, one of three defendants alongside Goldin and Kelvin Ramirez, managed to squeeze Matus's arm between his legs and wrestled the 50/50 Ball from his left hand.
The lawsuit further states that Belanski forcefully took control of the ball and was escorted out of the stands by security with Matus's (wrongfully acquired) ball in his possession.
The complaint includes video evidence from various spectators, showing Belanski retrieving the ball from Matus's grip.
Both Belanski and Kelvin Ramirez announced their intentions to sell the ball on social media, as per the complaint.
When contacted by CNN, Matus's representatives stated that Matus asserted, "I had the ball in my hand."
John Uustal, the founding partner of the law firm representing Matus, commented, "This is not some accord in a football game where the law does not apply due to mutual agreement between the players to physically harm each other. Once a fan wins possession of a ball, another fan cannot lay claim to it through force. Max is a high school student, and it was his birthday. A stronger, older individual cannot snatch the ball away, claiming it as his own."
CNN reached out to Goldin and Belanski's counsel for comment but could not immediately contact Ramirez.
The lawsuit argues that Matus would incur "irreparable harm" if the 50/50 ball were sold, as it is an "unreplicatable unique one-of-a-kind item."
"Once sold, (Matus) will not be able to retrieve it, and no monetary compensation can serve as an adequate replacement."
The situation mirrors the incident involving Barry Bonds' record-breaking 73rd home run ball in 2001.
Alex Popov managed to secure the ball with a glove during the melee, but later claimed he was robbed by Patrick Hayashi. Hayashi subsequently sold the ball, leading to a lawsuit that ended in a court-ordered sale and a $450,000 sale to comic book creator Todd McFarlane.
Despite the ongoing auction for the historic 50/50 ball, the 18-year-old fan, Max Matus, insists that he is its rightful owner due to a sporting mishap during the game.
The court case surrounding the 50/50 ball recalls similar legal battles, such as the one involving Barry Bonds' record-breaking 73rd home run ball.
