Lawsuit filed for possession of Shohei Ohtani 50/50 ball

A fan who claims to be the rightful owner of the Shohei Ohtani 50/50 Home Run Ball has filed a civil lawsuit to stop the ball's planned auction, according to court records.

Max Matus, 18, filed suit Thursday in Florida's 11th Judicial Court, seeking an injunction against Goldin Auctions, which had scheduled bidding for the ball on Friday.

The lawsuit, which also names Chris Belanski and Kelvin Ramirez, alleges that Belanski “illegally and forcibly” obtained possession of the ball from Matus in the stands and that Belanski and Ramirez hinted on social media about their plans to sell the ball would have.

“We are aware of the case filed,” Goldin Auctions said in a statement to ESPN. “After reviewing the allegations and images contained in the lawsuit, as well as publicly available video of the game, Goldin plans to launch the Ohtani 50/50 Ball auction live.”

Goldin Auctions' statement said that while the company was named in the case, there were no allegations of wrongdoing by the company. Goldin plans to place a bid on the ball on Friday with a price tag of $500,000.

Matus could not immediately be reached for comment through his attorney. Belanski and Ramirez also could not immediately be reached.

Video of the moment the ball landed in the stands was posted on social media.

Matus' lawsuit states that on September 19, he was at LoanDepot Park in Miami, Florida, celebrating his 18th birthday and recording the game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Miami Marlins on his cell phone when Ohtani hit his 50th home run achieved. The suit says he was standing by the fence in left field when he saw the ball coming toward him. When he tried to retrieve it, he “successfully” grabbed it in his left hand and wanted to keep it, the suit says.

Matus says “a muscular, older man” then trapped his arm “between his legs and ripped the 50/50 ball from Max's left hand.”

The lawsuit says Matus was the rightful owner of the ball before Belanski “forcibly took it away” from him.

“If defendants are permitted to sell the 50/50 Ball, plaintiff will suffer irreparable harm because the 50/50 Ball is a unique, one-of-a-kind item that cannot be replaced. Once the 50/50 ball is sold, “Plaintiff likely will not be able to recover it and no monetary damages will be sufficient to replace it,” the lawsuit states.

The lawsuit requests that the ball be stored in a secure location agreed upon by both parties pending the outcome of the litigation. A hearing on the matter is not scheduled.