Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani and his agent have been sued for allegedly sabotaging a $240 million real estate project in Hawaii.
Hawaii real estate moguls Kevin J. Hayes Sr. and Tomoko Matsumoto have accused the reigning National League MVP and his agent Nez Balelo of having them fired from the luxury property development, costing them a fortune.
Hayes, the developer, and Matsumoto, a broker, had reportedly approached the MLB icon and his representative to help promote the luxury housing project that they had ventured into on the Big Island.
However, in a lawsuit filed in Hawaii last week, the pair claim that shortly after bringing the Japanese star onboard, Ohtani and Balelo went to Hayes and Matsumoto’s business partner, Kingsbarn Realty Capital, and attempted to get them fired.
‘Balelo and (Ohtani), who were brought into the venture solely for (Ohtani’s) promotional and branding value, exploited their celebrity leverage to destabilize and ultimately dismantle Plaintiffs’ role in the project – for no reason other than their own financial self-interest,’ the lawsuit claims.
Ohtani, who inked a 10-year, $700 million contract in the 2023 offseason, and Balelo allegedly ‘issued an ultimatum … and demanded that Kingsbarn remove Hayes and Matsumoto from the project or else face retaliatory litigation.’
Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani (pictured) and his agent have been sued
Ohatni and his agent Nez Balelo (left) are accused of sabotaging a $240m real estate deal
Hayes and Matsumoto now claim they face being axed from the project, leaving them at risk of losing ‘millions of dollars in economic entitlements.’
The suit accuses Ohtani and Balelo of tortious interference and unjust enrichment. They are suing for unspecified damages.
Hayes, a developer with 40 years of experience, and Matsumoto, who was to be the listing agent for the houses averaging $17.3 million each, say that Ohtani and Balelo also tried to undermine their interests in a second, neighboring venture.
‘This case is about abuse of power,’ the lawsuit says. ‘Defendants used threats and baseless legal claims to force a business partner to betray its contractual obligations and strip Plaintiffs of the very project they conceived and built.
‘Defendants must be held accountable for their actions, not shielded by fame or behind-the-scenes agents acting with impunity. Plaintiffs bring this suit to expose Defendants´ misconduct and to ensure that the rules of contract, fair dealing, and accountability apply equally to all – celebrity or not.’
Investment materials for The Vista at Mauna Kea Resort, which had remained online on Monday night but appeared to have been removed by Tuesday morning, listed Hayes and Matsumoto as part of the management team, along with Kingsbarn.
The website called Ohtani ‘Japan’s Babe Ruth’ and the ‘1st Resident,’ giving him top billing ahead of the iconic Mauna Kea Resort, ‘one of the most celebrated hotels in Hawaii,’ Hapuna Beach, ‘rated the #1 beach in America by Conde Nast Traveler’ and two golf courses – one designed by Arnold Palmer, the other by Robert Trent Jones Sr.
‘Ohtani will act as the celebrity spokesperson for the project and has committed to purchasing one of the 14 residences within the project,’ the brochure says. ‘He also intends to spend significant time at The Vista in the off-season and will construct a small hitting and pitching facility for preseason training.’
Real estate moguls Kevin J. Hayes Sr. (R) and Tomoko Matsumoto (L) filed the lawsuit last week
Ohtani had been brought onboard to promote the luxury housing project on the Big Island
The suit says the developers spent 11 years working on the deal and ‘as part of a bold marketing strategy’ signed an endorsement deal in 2023 with Ohtani, ‘one of the most high-profile endorsements imaginable.’
‘This partnership with Ohtani will elevate the demand and create buzz within the Japanese luxury vacation home market, which is a primary target audience for the project,’ the investment brochure said. ‘We see Shohei Ohtani´s homeownership as having a significant impact on the global exposure of the project and expect to accelerate the pace of sales, thereby helping us achieve our pricing objectives.’
The suit said Balelo ‘quickly became a disruptive force,’ threatening to pull Ohtani from the deal if concessions weren’t made.
‘Kingsbarn began capitulating to Balelo´s every whim,’ the suit said. ‘Over time, it became increasingly obvious that Kingsbarn was more concerned about preserving its relationship with (Ohtani) than honoring its obligations to its business partners.’
Last month, in what the suit called ‘a coordinated ambush,’ Kingsbarn fired Hayes and Matsumoto.
‘Kingsbarn openly admitted during the call that Balelo had demanded the terminations and that they were being done solely to placate him,’ the suit said. ‘Plaintiffs stand to lose millions of dollars in compensation tied to projected homebuilding profit, construction management fees, and broker commissions.’
The lawsuit isn’t the first legal storm that Ohtani has found himself embroiled in over the past two years.
In February, Ohtani’s ex-interpreter Ippei Mizuhara was sentenced to 57 months in a California prison after pleading guilty to bank and tax fraud.
Ohtani’s ex-interpreter Ippei Mizuhara pleaded guilty to stealing $17m from the MLB star
Mizuhara arrives for his sentencing at the Ronald Reagan Federal Building in California
Mizuhara exploited the Japanese-English language barrier to isolate Ohtani and profit from his proximity to the two-way player’s power, stealing around $17million for the Los Angeles Dodgers star to repay gambling debts.
Although Mizuhara moved from the Angels to the Dodgers when Ohtani signed his record $700 million free-agent deal before the 2024 season, he was quickly fired in early 2024 as his deception was revealed.
Federal investigators believe Mizuhara won $142 million across 19,000 wagers between September of 2021 and January of 2024. However, those winnings were deposited into his own account, while Mizuhara used Ohtani’s to cover his losses, which totaled around $183 million – a difference of $41 million.
Mizuhara worked with several bookmakers and actually impersonated Ohtani in calls to Dodgers star’s bank, as revealed by the federal probe.
Investigators did not find any evidence Mizuhara wagered on baseball, nor could they prove that Ohtani was even aware of the theft, much less the gambling.
Balelo, meanwhile, is a former minor league player who saw his hopes of making it to the majors crushed by a construction-site accident in 1987.
He has gone on to become a super sports agent, representing four of MLB’s top players; Sandy Alcantara, Marcell Ozuna, Jean Segura and, most important of all, Ohtani.
This article was originally published by a www.dailymail.co.uk . Read the Original article here. .