Another Lawsuit Amid Success: Ohtani Sued Over Hawaii Real Estate Development

Involvement in $240 Million Real Estate Project
Extent of Participation Remains Unclear

Shohei Ohtani, who had filed a fraud lawsuit against an interpreter he hired just a year and a half ago, is now facing a lawsuit himself. On August 12 (local time), international outlets such as AP and CNN reported that American real estate developer Kevin J. Hayes Sr. and real estate broker Tomoko Matsumoto have filed a lawsuit against Ohtani, a player for the LA Dodgers, and his agent Nez Balelo in the U.S. District Court for the District of Hawaii.

Shohei Ohtani, who had sued an interpreter he hired just a year and a half ago on fraud charges, has now been sued himself. Reuters·Yonhap News

According to the complaint filed with the Hawaii District Court, Ohtani's agent Balelo allegedly began to demand more and more from Hayes Sr. and Matsumoto, and ultimately pressured their business partner, Kingsbarn Realty Capital, to exclude them from the project. In particular, they claim that Ohtani and Balelo unfairly intervened in a $240 million (approximately 333 billion KRW) housing development project and excluded them from it.

Previously, since around 2012, these individuals had been planning a luxury housing development project in the Hapuna Beach area of Hawaii. After preparing for the project for over a decade, they expected that featuring Ohtani-a 'superstar' in both the U.S. and Japan-would maximize promotional impact, and thus signed a promotional contract in 2023. This was when Ohtani was still with the LA Angels, before his transfer to the Dodgers.

Ohtani Personally Participated in Promoting the Luxury Housing

In fact, Ohtani personally participated in the promotion of the luxury homes. In January of this year, he visited the site with his wife Mamiko Tanaka and Balelo, took commemorative photos with local officials, and attended a party. These photos were widely shared on social media. It was also revealed for promotional purposes that, once the luxury homes were completed, Ohtani planned to purchase one as an offseason villa and use it for personal training.

Ohtani has come under controversy again after about one year and five months. Just before the start of last year's regular season, Ohtani discovered that his former interpreter had impersonated him to withdraw approximately 24.6 billion KRW from his account to pay off gambling debts, and he subsequently filed a lawsuit. AP·Yonhap News

However, it appears that conflicts later arose between Balelo and the plaintiffs. The plaintiffs claim that Balelo and Ohtani's side repeatedly demanded changes and concessions to the contract, and threatened to remove Ohtani from the deal if their demands were not met, ultimately leading to their exclusion from the project. They stated that their losses amount to several million dollars. According to AP, neither CAA nor Balelo have commented on the lawsuit, and it remains unclear to what extent Ohtani is actually involved in the real estate development.

In the midst of this, Ohtani has come under controversy again after about one year and five months. Just before the start of last year's regular season, Ohtani discovered that his former interpreter had impersonated him to withdraw approximately 24.6 billion KRW from his account to pay off gambling debts, and he subsequently filed a lawsuit. The interpreter was sentenced to four years and nine months in prison by the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. The Sporting News commented, "Ohtani has once again become embroiled in an opaque issue due to people around him," and added, "This is not the first time he has encountered trouble because of those around him, and the timing could not be worse for the Dodgers."

Meanwhile, Ohtani is currently posting a .284 batting average (130 hits in 458 at-bats), 42 home runs, 78 RBIs, 112 runs scored, 17 stolen bases, a .389 on-base percentage, a .624 slugging percentage, and a 1.013 OPS in 117 games this season. In the August 12 game, he hit another home run, tying with Kyle Schwarber (Philadelphia) for the National League lead in home runs and remaining in the MVP race. If Ohtani wins the MVP this year, it will be his fourth career MVP award, the second most in history after Barry Bonds, who won seven times.