The lawyer for an 18-year-old man who is trying to stop Shohei Ohtani’s 50th Circuit ball from being auctioned off until a court rules on ownership of the ball believes he has strong arguments.
Online bidding began Friday, less than 24 hours after a Miami-Dade County judge, Spencer Eig, ruled the process could begin — although a sale cannot be finalized until he rules on a motion for a temporary injunction next month.
Attorney John Uustal represents Max Matus in this lawsuit challenging ownership of the historic bullet.
“What we wanted was to make sure that this ball would remain under the jurisdiction of the court and that it could not be sold before the court made a decision,” Uustal said.
The plaintiff claims that Matus, a Florida resident who was celebrating his 18th birthday at LoanDepot Park, took possession of the ball hit by Ohtani for his 50th home run on September 19 before another man, Chris Belanski, managed to get away. seize it.
“Max managed to grab the ball in his left hand and intended to keep it. Unfortunately, seconds later, defendant Belananski – an older, muscular man – pinned the plaintiff’s arm between his legs and snatched the bullet. »
The ball has since been taken to Goldin Auctions, a New Jersey-based auction house also named in the lawsuit. Bidding started at $500,000.
Matus is seeking a temporary injunction that would prevent a sale until the case is resolved.
“The normal procedure in this type of trial requires a certain amount of time – a year, a year and a half, sometimes more – to reach a decision,” Uustal added.
“In this case, we don’t have time,” the lawyer continued. The ball could disappear forever (if sold). Who knows where she will be by then. »
An evidentiary hearing has been set for October 10. A video of the events will be filed as evidence.
Ohtani’s home run against the Miami Marlins – the second of his three in the game – made him the first player in Major League Baseball history to reach 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases. during the same season.
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