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Max Matus, an 18-year-old baseball fan, has filed a civil lawsuit in Florida, claiming ownership of Shohei Ohtani’s historic 50-50 home run ball, which is set to be auctioned starting this Friday. The ball, which commemorates Ohtani's 50th home run of the season on September 19, is expected to attract bids starting at $500,000.

The lawsuit was filed against Goldin, the New Jersey-based auction house handling the sale, and Chris Belanski, the man who ended up with the ball, along with his friend, Kelvin Ramirez. Matus alleges that during the game at loanDepot Park in Miami, he had initially secured the ball in his left hand before Belanski "forcefully" wrestled it away from him.

According to the lawsuit, Matus was attending the game as part of his 18th birthday celebration and managed to “firmly grab” the coveted home run ball. However, the filing claims that Belanski used his arm to pry it from Matus’s hand, asserting that the ball was "forcefully taken away" in the struggle.

Matus is now seeking legal action to prevent the sale of the ball and is asking for it to be placed in a secure, mutually agreed-upon location until the case is resolved. The young fan hopes to stop the auction and potentially claim ownership or a portion of the proceeds from the sale.

Despite the legal action, Goldin plans to move forward with the auction. On Thursday, a Miami judge denied a request from Matus’s attorneys for a temporary restraining order, which would have paused the sale. According to Clict’s Darren Rovell, the ruling allows the auction to proceed as scheduled.

In a statement to ESPN, Goldin responded: "We are aware of the case that has been filed. Having reviewed the allegations and images included in the lawsuit, and publicly available video from the game, Goldin plans to go live with the auction of the Ohtani 50/50 ball."

The 11th Judicial Court in Dade County is expected to give Matus’s legal team the chance to present their case before the auction ends on October 16. If successful, Matus could be entitled to some of the profits from the ball's sale.

Ken Goldin, CEO of Goldin Auctions, told ESPN that Belanski had reached out the day after Ohtani's milestone game to arrange the sale. According to Andy Slater of Fox Sports 640, the Los Angeles Dodgers even made an offer of $300,000 for the ball, but Belanski declined.

The auction for the ball will go live with a “buy-it-now” option priced at $4.5 million through October 9. However, if the bidding reaches $3 million before that date, the buy-it-now option will be removed, allowing the auction to continue until October 16.

This case has added an unexpected legal twist to what was already one of the most anticipated sports memorabilia auctions of the year, as collectors and baseball fans await the final outcome.

You can bid on the ball at Goldin Auctions