Name of the original owner of the Ohtani 50/50 ball changed in court documents

Days before the Shohei Ohtani 50/50 home run ball sold for a record $4.392 million, lawyers have amended their civil lawsuits challenging ownership of the ball, saying the person originally named as the one who obtained the ball in a scrum , was incorrectly identified.

The lawsuits, which originally used the name “Chris Belanski” to identify the fan who ultimately grabbed the ball, have been amended – with the name changed to Christian Zacek in legal documents.

A lawyer for Max Matus, the 18-year-old fan who filed the first lawsuit saying he had possession of the ball before someone else took it from him, said the original name was used after his side tried to ban the person from the match to identify. park who claimed the ball.

“We just did the best we could,” said attorney John Uustal of the Florida law firm Kelley-Uustal. ‘I don’t remember exactly where we got the name or who it came from, but they were witnesses who thought they knew the name from that day in the park. Completely my fault.’

Uustal said the contract with the transferred auction house, Goldin Auctions, included the name of an attorney representing an individual named Zacek.

“Ninety-nine percent of the time, identifying the suspect is not a problem,” Uustal said. “Here it was, and who knows why? It’s not hard to identify people in the modern world, so I don’t know what’s going on and I don’t have any speculation about it.”

Zacek’s lawyers – Dustin Robinson, Jon Claussen and Bob Josefsberg – confirmed to ESPN that Christian Zacek is the name of the person seen wearing a black shirt in the widely shared video of the chase for the ball, and that it was Zacek who left LoanDepot Park with the ball.

“We don’t know where the prosecutors came up with that (original) name,” Robinson said. “But it has no effect on the future.”

“It’s actually a procedural issue with the court, just a name change,” Claussen said. “It’s not that far into the process yet. Sometimes when you try to file an order to stay things, it happens. I don’t think it happens too often.”

Goldin Auctions, which sold the ball at auction last week, and Kelvin Ramirez — originally named as co-defendants in the cases — have been removed from both lawsuits.

On September 19, Ohtani became the first player in Major League history to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in a season. That night, he hit three home runs and stole two bases to lead the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 20–4 playoff loss to the Miami Marlins at LoanDepot Park in Miami.

Shortly after that match, a civil lawsuit over ownership of the ball began. Matus’ lawsuit says he was standing near the fence in left field when he saw the ball coming toward him. When he went to try to get it, the suit says, he “successfully” grabbed it with his left hand. The lawsuit states that “a muscular, older man” then wedged his arm “between his legs and wrenched the 50/50 ball out of Max’s left hand.” According to the lawsuit, Matus was the rightful owner of the ball before it was “forcibly taken from him.”

Another fan, Joseph Davidov, also filed suit, claiming he was the rightful owner.

Court documents revealed that an agreement was reached on October 7 that allowed the auction to proceed and be completed, setting aside the lawsuits over ownership of the ball.

According to a spokesperson for Goldin Auctions, “a Taiwanese company” paid more than $4 million for the ball. That money has been placed in escrow while the lawsuit plays out. Goldin Auctions has said it plans to announce the buyer after the conclusion of the World Series between the New York Yankees and Dodgers.