Shohei Ohtani, agent accused of exploiting celebrity status to force partners out of $240 million realty deal

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Shohei Ohtani and his agent were hit with a lawsuit by a real estate investor and broker in Hawaii, claiming they got them fired from a $240 million luxury housing development by using their celebrity status.

The Los Angeles Dodgers' two-way superstar's agent is accused of increasingly demanding concessions from developer Kevin J. Hayes and real estate broker Tomoko Matsumoto and then demanding that their own business partner, Kingsbarn Realty Capital, drop them from the deal.

"[Nez] 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 said, via the Associated Press.

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Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers talks with agent Nez Balelo prior to the game between the New Orleans Saints and the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium on Dec. 21, 2023, in Inglewood, California. (Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)

"This case is about abuse of power," the lawsuit continued. "Defendants used threats and baseless legal claims to force a business partner to betray its contractual obligations and strip Plaintiffs of the very project they conceived and built.

"Defendants must be held accountable for their actions, not shielded by fame or behind-the-scenes agents acting with impunity. Plaintiffs bring this suit to expose Defendants’ misconduct and to ensure that the rules of contract, fair dealing, and accountability apply equally to all – celebrity or not."

Ohtani and Balelo are