Shohei Ohtani, the Dodgers‘ star player and 2024 World Series champion, now finds himself in unfamiliar territory, not on the field but in a legal showdown.
A developer and broker behind a $240 million luxury housing venture in Hawaii alleges that Ohtani and his agent, Nez Balelo, leveraged the player’s fame to push them out of a deal they helped create.
The lawsuit, filed August 8 in Hawaii Circuit Court, claims the duo sabotaged their own partners for personal financial gain.
The development, The Vista at Mauna Kea Resort on the coveted Hapuna Coast, involved 14 ultra-luxury residences, priced around $17.3 million each, and featured prized amenities including Hapuna Beach and golf courses designed by Arnold Palmer and Robert Trent Jones Sr.
The plaintiffs, veteran developer Kevin J. Hayes Sr. and broker Tomoko Matsumoto, say they were integral to launching the project and collaborating with Kingsbarn Realty Capital.
Their lawsuit accuses Ohtani and Balelo of tortious interference and unjust enrichment, arguing they exploited celebrity influence to manipulate Kingsbarn into firing them, despite their central role in the development.
Why would an agent make such demands?
Plaintiffs allege that Balelo aggressively sought concessions, even forcing Kingsbarn’s hand.
“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,” reads the filing.
Hayes and Matsumoto claim that Kingsbarn “began capitulating to Balelo’s every whim,” prioritizing Ohtani’s presence over contractual obligations.
Investment materials touted Ohtani as the project’s “1st Resident” and poster figure. They promised he would both purchase a home and build a hitting-and-pitching facility on site, boosting the development’s appeal, especially in the Japanese luxury market.
Kingsbarn ultimately dismissed Hayes and Matsumoto in a move the lawsuit calls “a coordinated ambush.”
The plaintiffs warn they stand to lose millions in construction management, broker fees, and projected profits.
“This case is about abuse of power,” the filing stresses. “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.”
As of now, representatives for Balelo have declined comment, and Kingsbarn officials have not responded.
For Ohtani, whose reputation was already tested by last year’s scandal involving his former interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, this marks a rare off-field controversy at a time when his public image has largely been one of triumph and honor.
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