An investor and broker in Hawaii suits Shohei Ohtani and claims that the Los Angeles Dodgers star and his agent have dismissed them from a luxury housing development of $ 240 million to the coveted Hapuna Coast of the Big Island they brought him to endorse it.
According to the court case that was submitted on Friday in the Hawaii Circuit Court, the agent of Ohtani, Nez Balelo, increasingly demanded concessions by developer Kevin J. Hayes Sr. And real estate agent Tomoko Matsumoto before she demanded that their business partner, Kingsbarn Realty Capital, sales them from the deal.
“Balelo and Otani, who were exclusively brought to the company for the promotion and brand value of Otani, used their celebrity tree to destabilize the role of claimants in the project and ultimately dismantling their own financial self-interest,” the court case claims.
The suit accuses Ohtani and Balelo of unlawful interference and unjust enrichment. Hayes, a developer with 40 years of experience, and Matsumoto, who would become the listing agent for the houses of an average of $ 17.3 million, say that Ohtani and Balelo also tried to undermine their interests in a second, neighboring company.
A spokesperson for the Bureau van Balelo, CAA Baseball, refused comments. Attempts to reach Kingsbarn officials for comment were not immediately successful.
“This case is about abuse of power,” says the lawsuit. “The defendants used threats and unfounded legal claims to force a business partner to betray his contractual obligations and to strip claimants from the project they devised and built.
“The defendants must be held responsible for their actions, not protected by fame or behind the scenes who act with impunity. Plaintiffs indicate this lawsuit to expose the misconduct of the defendants and to ensure that the rules of contract, fair trade and accountability are equal to all-celebrity or not.”
Ohtani, 31, arrived in 2018 from Japan as perhaps the most announced international star in baseball history, with a capacity to both pitch and touch him that made him double valuable for his team. A five-fold all-star and three times most valuable player, he signed a record of 10 years, $ 700 million contract with the Dodgers before last season and the team helped to win the 2024 World Series.
Investment material for the Vista in Mauna Kea Resort, which remained online on Monday evening, mentioned Hayes and Matsumoto as part of the management team, together with Kingsbarn. It called Ohtani “Japan's Babe Ruth” and the “1st inhabitant”, giving top invoicing for the iconic Mauna Kea – Resort, “one of the most celebrated hotels in Hawaii,” Hapuna Beach, “rated the #1 beach in America by Conde Nast, the Traveler” Sr.
“Ohtani will act as the spokesperson for celebrities for the project and is committed to buying one of the 14 homes within the project,” says the brochure. “He is also planning to spend a lot of time in the Vista in the low season and will build a small battle and pitching facility for training for the season.”
The suit says that the developers have worked on the deal for 11 years and “as part of a daring marketing strategy” an approval agreement signed in 2023 with Ohtani, “one of the most controversial notes you can imagine.”
“This collaboration with Ohtani will increase the question and create buzz within the Japanese luxury holiday market, a primary target group for the project,” said the investment brochure. “We see the home ownership of Shohei Ohtani as a significant impact on the worldwide exposure of the project and expect to accelerate the pace of sales, so that we can achieve our price objectives.”
The suit said that Balelo 'quickly became a disturbing force', which threatened to remove Ohtani from the deal if no concessions were made.
“Kingsbarn started capitulating to Balelo's every growth,” said the suit. “In the course of time it became increasingly clear that Kingsbarn was more concerned about the preservation of his relationship with Otani than honoring his obligations towards her business partners.”
Last month, in what the suit 'called a coordinated ambush', Kingsbarn Hayes and Matsumoto fired.
“Kingsbarn openly admitted during the call that Balelo had demanded the endings and that they were only done to calm him down,” said the suit. “Plaintiffs lose millions of dollars in compensation linked to projected profit on the home, construction management and brokerage committees.”
___
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
