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Dodgers\u2019 Shohei Ohtani sued for allegedly scuttling real estate deal<\/p>\n
Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani and his agent are being sued by a Hawaii real estate investor and broker in a $240 million housing development deal.<\/p>\n
unbranded – Sport<\/p>\n
Los Angeles Dodgers<\/a> superstar Shohei Ohtani<\/a> and his agent are being sued by a Hawaii real estate investor and a broker, alleging that both men got them terminated from a $240 million housing development on Hawaii’s Hapuna Coast that they brought him in to endorse.<\/p>\n The lawsuit was filed in Hawaii Circuit Court on Aug. 8 and obtained by USA TODAY Sports. It says that Ohtani\u2019s agent, Nez Balelo, wanted assurances from Kevin J. Hayes Sr. \u2014 a developer who has been in business for 40 years \u2014 and real estate broker Tomoko Matsumoto before they demanded their business partner, Kingsbarn Realty Capital, a company based in Las Vegas, remove both from the real estate deal.<\/p>\n Ohtani is referred to in the lawsuit, in which some portions are redacted, as “Otani.” The developers say in the lawsuit that they spent more than a decade trying to work on the deal before signing Ohtani to an endorsement deal in 2023.<\/p>\n “This case is about abuse of power. 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,” the lawsuit says. “Plaintiffs bring this suit to expose Defendants\u2019 misconduct and to ensure that the rules of contract, fair dealing, and accountability apply equally to all \u2014 celebrity or not.\u201d<\/p>\n Ohtani and Balelo are accused in the lawsuit of “tortious interference and unjust enrichment, who used their “celebrity leverage to destabilize and ultimately dismantle Plaintiffs\u2019 role in the project” and attempted to sabotage a second business venture.<\/p>\n “The allegations against Shohei Ohtani and Nez Balelo are completely frivolous and without merit,” a spokesperson for Kingsbarn Realty Capital said in a statement. “Kingsbarn takes full responsibility for its actions regarding Kevin Hayes and for removing Tomoko Matsumoto as the project\u2019s broker. The Mauna Kea project is world class, and we look forward to welcoming our final group.”<\/p>\n