Shohei Ohtani’s 50th home run ball can be sold, judge says. But who will pocket the cash?
The auction and sale of Shohei Ohtani’s 50th home run ball will proceed as planned.
The historic ball, which made the Dodgers superstar the first MLB player to have 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in a season, is already on its way to fetching almost $2 million.
It remains to be seen who will pocket all that cash.
The individuals involved in two lawsuits over ownership of the historic ball have agreed to allow Goldin Auctions to continue with its sale of the item, and then allow the courts to decide which of them will receive the proceeds from the sale.
A second lawsuit has been filed by a fan who claims he was the first to secure possession of Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani’s 50th home run ball and is the rightful owner.
Goldin Auctions confirmed to The Times that it has been dismissed as a defendant in both cases.
A judge in Florida’s 11th Judicial Circuit Court approved the agreement Tuesday in connection with a civil lawsuit filed last month by Broward County resident Joseph Davidov against Goldin Auctions and fellow Florida residents Christian Zacek, Kelvin Ramirez and Max Matus.
In his lawsuit, Davidov sought to be named the rightful owner of the ball and to prevent its sale by any of the other parties.
As part of the agreement, Goldin Auctions and Ramirez were dismissed as defendants. The lawsuit will proceed with Davidov, Zacek and Matus vying for a substantial financial reward. As of Thursday morning, the current high bid for the ball was $1.8 million, with the auction set to end Oct. 22.
Davidov’s attorney, Devon Workman, confirmed the agreement to The Times on Wednesday. Attorneys for Zacek and Matus did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani doesn’t have his 50-50 home run ball. Neither do these Marlins fans who got their hands on it. It may be worth $500,000 or more.
The judge also noted that Zacek had been incorrectly identified as Chris Belanski in the original complaint.
Ohtani hit the milestone home run into the left-center field stands at LoanDepot Park during a Sept. 19 game between the Dodgers and the Miami Marlins. A mad scramble among fans ended with Zacek emerging in possession of the valuable memento.
On Sept. 26, Matus sued Zacek, Ramirez and Goldin Auctions, claiming ownership of the ball and looking to stop its sale. Matus filed an amended complaint Tuesday, seeking “the entire proceeds of the sale of the 50/50 Ball.” Zacek was listed as the sole defendant.
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