Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani and agent sued over $240M Hawaii real estate deal
Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani and his agent, Nez Balelo, face a lawsuit filed by a Hawaii real estate investor and broker. The suit alleges that Ohtani and Balelo interfered with a $240 million housing development on Hawaii’s Hapuna Coast, a project the investors say they originally brought Ohtani in to endorse.
Filed in Hawaii Circuit Court on August 8, the lawsuit claims Balelo demanded assurances from developer Kevin J. Hayes Sr. and real estate broker Tomoko Matsumoto before pressuring their business partner, Kingsbarn Realty Capital, to remove the plaintiffs from the deal. Kingsbarn is based in Las Vegas, News.Az reports, citing foreign media.
The plaintiffs accuse Ohtani and Balelo of abusing their influence to destabilize the project, which had been in development for over a decade before Ohtani’s endorsement agreement in 2023. They say the defendants used “threats and baseless legal claims” to force a business partner to break contractual obligations, ultimately costing the plaintiffs their role in the project.
The lawsuit accuses Ohtani and Balelo of “tortious interference and unjust enrichment,” alleging they leveraged Ohtani’s celebrity status to sabotage not only this venture but a second business deal as well.
Ohtani was highlighted in a 2024 press release for the Vista at Mauna Kea Resort project, aimed at high-end buyers from Japan and the U.S. The release stated that Ohtani would be the first resident on the property, calling Hawaii his “own paradise” and revealing plans to build his winter home there.
Currently in his second season with the Dodgers under a 10-year, $700 million contract, Ohtani helped lead Los Angeles to a World Series title last year. A five-time All-Star and three-time MVP, he is batting .284 with 42 home runs and 78 RBIs in the 2025 season as the Dodgers lead the NL West.
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