Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani and agent sued for allegedly sabotaging luxury $240m Hawaii real estate deal
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.'
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. 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.'
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