Ohtani and Agent at Center of $240M Hawaii Real Estate Dispute
Two Hawaii-based real estate developers have filed a lawsuit that has pulled Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani and his agent, Nez Balelo, into a high-profile legal battle. The suit claims that the pair interfered with a $240 million luxury housing development tied to the Mauna Kea Resort — a project that had been over a decade in the making.
According to court documents, Ohtani wasn’t just a casual supporter of the project. He had purchased a $17 million home there and was brought in largely for his promotional and branding value, with the hope that his celebrity status would attract other wealthy buyers. But things took a sharp turn when Balelo, who works for the Creative Artists Agency, was accused of orchestrating a “calculated and unlawful scheme” that led to the removal of the project’s original developers, Kevin J. Hayes Sr. and Tomoko Matsumoto.
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The lawsuit alleges that Balelo issued an ultimatum to Kingsbarn Realty Capital, a business partner in the project: remove Hayes and Matsumoto or face possible legal action over alleged violations of Ohtani’s Name, Image, and Likeness rights. It’s claimed that under pressure, Kingsbarn eventually complied, removing Hayes as managing member and firing Matsumoto as listing broker. The plaintiffs say they were effectively pushed out of the venture they conceived back in 2013.
On the defendants’ side, a source described the matter as a “very standard business dispute” and dismissed the allegations as “frivolous and without merit.” Kingsbarn itself has publicly taken responsibility for the removals, saying they stand by their actions and remain committed to completing what they describe as a world-class project.
Josh Schiller, attorney for Hayes and Matsumoto, stated that they attempted to resolve the conflict privately but were unsuccessful. The filing accuses Ohtani and Balelo of using “celebrity leverage” purely for financial gain and claims Balelo became a disruptive influence, inserting himself into all aspects of the deal and responding to business issues with hostility. While Schiller says it’s unclear if Ohtani knew the full extent of his agent’s actions, the lawsuit maintains that Ohtani is ultimately responsible for his representative’s conduct.
The dispute comes against the backdrop of Ohtani’s towering baseball career. After signing a record 10-year, $700 million contract with the Dodgers in late 2023, he captured his third MVP and first World Series title, and is projected to earn $100 million in endorsements this year — far more than any other MLB player. Yet, off-field controversies have shadowed him before, including the highly publicized case involving his former interpreter, who is now in prison for theft and fraud.
For now, large portions of the Hawaii lawsuit remain redacted, but the plaintiffs are seeking to make more details public. Their legal team insists that any claims of contractual violations were fabricated and that this case is, at its heart, about holding even the most famous figures accountable to the same business standards as everyone else.
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