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Hawaii real estate investor and broker are suing Shohei Ohtani, claiming the Los Angeles Dodgers star and his agent exploited their celebrity status to get them fired from a $240 million luxury housing development on the Big Island's Hapuna Coast. The lawsuit alleges that Ohtani's agent, Nez Balelo, demanded concessions from developer Kevin J. Hayes Sr. and real estate broker Tomoko Matsumoto before insisting they be dropped from the project.

    The suit accuses Ohtani and Balelo of tortious interference and unjust enrichment, claiming they used their leverage to destabilize the partnership for financial gain. The developers, who spent 11 years working on the deal, say they were brought in solely for Ohtani's promotional value and that he and Balelo undermined their interests in a second venture as well.

    The lawsuit claims that Balelo "quickly became a disruptive force" and threatened to pull Ohtani from the deal unless concessions were made. Kingsbarn Realty Capital eventually fired Hayes and Matsumoto, allegedly at Balelo's demand, and stands to lose millions of dollars in compensation.

    "This case is about abuse of power," the lawsuit says. "Defendants used threats and baseless legal claims to force a business partner to betray its contractual obligations." The developers are seeking accountability for Ohtani and Balelo's actions, which they claim were motivated by self-interest rather than any legitimate concerns.