Logan Paul Questions Authenticity of Collectible Signed by Michael Jordan
WWE star and social media influencer Logan Paul has filed a lawsuit against Heritage Auctions in a Texas district court. The legal action arises from concerns about the authenticity of a piece 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 ground before making the payment, which was due on September 25. He was informed that he would lose his rights to the object if he did not meet the deadline. Paul’s winning bid was $562,555.42, including the buyer’s premium. Josh Bernstein, Paul’s lawyer, 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 9.Heritage promoted the floor as “the ultimate Michael Jordan display piece.” In the description, it was specified that it was an 8-by-8-foot section of the “original floor used in the 1994-98 United Center games.” It was signed by Jordan and included the inscriptions “Air Jordan”, “5X MVP”, “6X Finals MVP”, “10X Scoring Title”, and “HOF 2009”. Heritage’s description also stated that the floor was “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 in 1994 through the 1998 NBA Championship season” until the 2005-06 season, when the floor was “retired and replaced according to NBA protocol”. In the Heritage description, a certificate of authenticity from Upper Deck Authentication, with whom Jordan has had an exclusive association for a long time, and third-party authentication from PSA/DNA and Beckett Authentication Services were also mentioned. A Heritage spokesperson stated that they do not believe Paul’s claim has merit, 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 reiterated, reaffirming that the floor was acquired directly from the Bulls. “This lot would not have been included for sale at auction unless we were completely sure of 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 renovated.” 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 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 the photo matching attempts were only with the Bulls logo itself, not with 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 photo-match certificate “claims to have matched the item with” the 2001-02 to 2005-06 seasons. Upper Deck, Beckett, and PSA could not be immediately reached for comment.Authenticity is paramount in the collector community. Collectors like Logan deserve, and are entitled to, proof of authenticity that withstands scrutiny and addresses the obvious gaps and inconsistencies.
Josh Bernstein
