Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani and his agent, Nez Balelo, have been sued for allegedly pushing out a Hawaii luxury real estate developer and broker out of a $240 million deal. The civil lawsuit was filed in the Hawaii Circuit Court on Friday. Developer Kevin J Hayes Sr and real estate broker Tomoko Matsumoto claim that Ohtani used his popularity to interfere in the deal.
In the lawsuit, Hayes Sr and Matsumoto said that they had been working with Kingsbarn Realty Capital on The Vista at Mauna Kea Resort, a project featuring 14 custom homes on 17 acres along the Hawaiian coastline.
Each residence is designed to exceed 7,000 square feet, with an average price of $17.3 million, and Ohtani was slated to be the first resident. Hayes Sr was serving as a developer, while Matsumoto had been tapped as the listing agent.
The complaint alleges Balelo pressured Hayes and Matsumoto for concessions before demanding that Kingsbarn terminate them. The lawsuit claims Kingsbarn admitted the decision was made solely to satisfy Balelo’s threats that Ohtani would withdraw his endorsement if the two men stayed on the project.
The plaintiffs further accused Ohtani and Balelo of ‘exploiting celebrity leverage’ to eliminate them from the venture, costing them millions in anticipated profits, management fees, and commissions.
They are suing for tortious interference and unjust enrichment, and also allege the pair tried to hinder their role in a second development.
Kingsbarn’s promotional materials state the Mauna Kea project will be marketed primarily to US and Japanese buyers. Ohtani’s name was brought in to boost sales appeal, leveraging his star power in both markets.
The 31-year-old Dodgers player is Japan’s most famous athlete, earning an estimated $60 million in endorsements in 2024, on top of his 10-year, $700 million MLB contract.
Balelo’s agency, CAA Baseball, declined to comment when contacted by the New York Post.
We checked Forbes to find out that Balelo has a whopping net worth. As per the website he is worth about $39 million.
This is not the first time Ohtani has been linked to legal matters. In 2024, his former interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, pleaded guilty to stealing nearly $17 million from Ohtani and was sentenced to 57 months in prison.