Logan Paul Sues Heritage Auctions Over Michael Jordan Item Authenticity
WWE star and social media influencer Logan Paul has filed a lawsuit against Heritage Auctions in a Texas district court on Thursday. The legal action centers on concerns about the authenticity of a fragment of the United Center floor signed by Michael Jordan, which Paul acquired at an auction. According to court documents, Paul was not allowed to verify the authenticity of the soil before Heritage requested payment, which was originally due on September 25. Court records indicate that Heritage warned Paul that he would lose his rights to the soil if he did not meet the deadline. Paul’s winning bid amounted to $562,555.42, including the buyer’s premium. Josh Bernstein, from Akerman LLP and legal counsel for Paul, requested a temporary restraining order and a temporary injunction against Heritage Auctions. The temporary restraining order was granted on Thursday morning. The hearing date for the temporary injunction was set for October 9th.Heritage promoted the floor as “the ultimate Michael Jordan display piece.” The item description presented it as an 8-by-8-foot section of the “original game-used floor from the United Center from 1994-98.” It was signed by Jordan and included the inscriptions “Air Jordan”, “5X MVP”, “6X Finals MVP”, “10X Scoring Title”, and “HOF 2009”. In the Heritage description, it was stated that the floor had been “honored by three World Championships and the footprints of the most celebrated athlete in the history of American sports” and that it was “used from the United Center’s debut season of 1994 through the 1998 NBA Championship season” until the 2005-06 season, when the floor was “retired and replaced according to NBA protocol”. The Heritage description also mentioned a certificate of authenticity from Upper Deck Authentication, with whom Jordan has had an exclusive partnership for a long time, and third-party authentication from PSA/DNA and Beckett Authentication Services. A Heritage spokesperson stated that the company does not believe Paul’s claim is justified, adding that the auction house made concessions to Paul “to facilitate any in-person inspection and reasonable efforts for further review.” “We stand behind every item we sell,” Heritage said, reiterating that the floor was acquired directly from the Bulls. “This lot would not have been included in the auction unless we were fully confident in its authenticity.” Paul’s lawsuit alleges that the floor’s condition “does not match the 1995-1998 floor, as a result of the floor being replaced or, as Heritage claims, repainted and refinished.” According to the lawsuit, PSA’s certification says the Bulls logo appears different than in photos from the 2001-05 seasons. Bernstein requested documentation from Heritage after Paul won the lot. In emails found in court records, Heritage’s sports auction director, Chris Ivy, acknowledged that “there is no such documentation … that matches the floor from the 1998-99, 1999-2000 or 2000-2001 seasons” and that the photo-matching company Sports Investors Authentication was unsuccessful because photo-matching attempts were only made with the Bulls logo, not the wood grain, which is what PSA used for its provided photo matches. The complaint acknowledges that the Upper Deck certificate refers to the years 1995-98 and that the PSA/DNA photographic match certificate “claims to have matched the item” to the 2001-02 to 2005-06 seasons. It was not possible to immediately contact Upper Deck, Beckett, and PSA for comment.It is evident that authenticity is crucial in the collector community. Collectors like Logan deserve and have the right to proof of authenticity that withstands scrutiny and addresses the obvious gaps and inconsistencies.
Josh Bernstein
