Dodgers Superstar Ohtani, Agent Sued Over $240M Real Estate Dispute
Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani is once again in the spotlight for his off-the-field money moves.
A Hawaii real estate investor and broker are suing Ohtani and his agent, Nez Balelo, alleging that the pair forced them out of their own $240M development on Hawaii’s Big Island after they brought the superstar on to endorse the project, called The Vista at Mauna Kea Resort.
Developer Kevin Hayes and real estate broker Tomoko Matsumoto allege in the suit that Ohtani and his agent demanded a growing list of concessions from the pair before ultimately pressuring Kingsbarn Realty Capital, the other capital partner on the development, to drop Hayes and Matsumoto from the 14-unit luxury home project entirely.
“Balelo and Otani, who were brought into the venture solely for Otani’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,” the lawsuit claims, misspelling the pitcher’s name, according to CNN.
An April 2024 press release announcing the project promotes Ohtanti as a resident at the luxury development set on 17 acres with units ranging from $17M to $20M.
“Only 12 of the 14 homesites are currently available within The Vista estates, as one lot is currently in escrow with a buyer and Shohei Ohtani has already selected his,” the release says.
Last year, Ohtani was also caught up in a gambling scandal and was ultimately cleared of any wrongdoing, while his translator was sentenced to nearly five years in prison for fraud.
The website for the project was wiped in the last two days. Before it was scrubbed, it said Ohtani would be the project's “1st Resident” and promised that Ohtani, perhaps the best-known name in baseball, would spend significant time at the property in the offseason and construct a small hitting and pitching facility for preseason training, according to CNN.
Hayes and Matsumoto allege that they were fired from the project by Kingsbarn as part of “a coordinated ambush” in July, and they accuse Las Vegas-based Kingsbarn of being more concerned with its relationship with Ohtani than its contractual obligations.
The ousted partners say they spent more than a decade planning the luxury development before bringing Ohtani on for a celebrity endorsement in 2023. Construction was slated to begin in 2024, and Hayes and Matsumoto say they stand to lose millions of dollars in compensation related to commissions, homebuilding profits and management fees by being booted from the development deal.
Kingsbarn was described in promotional materials as an investment co-partner on the project with Hayes and Matsumoto, who together were leading West Point Investment Corp.
“Here, I found my own paradise at Mauna Kea Resort: Two perfect beaches, two amazing golf courses, and so much more,” Ohtani said in a statement when the project was announced. “This is a special place — a place I will soon call home.”
