A lawsuit filed by a real estate developer and broker against Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani that claimed the baseball player and his agent conspired to get them fired from a $240 million luxury housing development in Hawaii has been settled.
TMZ Sports reports attorneys for both parties reached an agreement “of all claims and causes of action” that dismisses the case with prejudice.
Developer Kevin J. Hayes Sr. and real estate broker Tomoko Matsumoto said they recruited Ohtani to endorse a new development on the Big Island’s Hapuna Coast. In the lawsuit filed in Hawaii Circuit Court last summer, Hayes and Matsumoto accused Ohtani and his agent, Nez Balelo, demanded a growing number of concessions before insisting Kingsbarn Realty Capital, the plaintiffs’ business partner, drop them from the deal.
The lawsuit said the developers spent 11 years working on the project and signed an endorsement deal in 2023 with Ohtani. Balelo was accused by the plaintiffs of threatening to withdraw Ohtani’s involvement if concessions weren’t made.
In announcing the settlement, the plaintiffs issued a statement that said: “After further discussions between the parties, we recognize there was a misunderstanding of what transpired during the development of this project, and we are therefore withdrawing our lawsuit. The misunderstanding was of a business nature that is not uncommon in complex real estate ventures, and all parties have reconciled. The parties are enthused to move forward in a positive and mutually beneficial manner. We are proud of our contributions to the development of this world class project and look forward to its completion.”
Photo courtesy of Shohei Ohtani’s Instagram page
