Logan Paul Disputes Authenticity of Collectible Signed by Michael Jordan
The renowned WWE wrestler and social media influencer, Logan Paul, has filed a request for a restraining order in a Texas district court. The legal action focuses on questions about the authenticity of a section of the United Center floor, signed by Michael Jordan, which Paul acquired at an auction. According to court documents, Paul alleges that he was not allowed to verify the authenticity of the floor before making the payment to Heritage Auctions, which was originally due on September 25. Records indicate that Heritage Auctions informed Paul that he would lose his rights to the object if he did not meet the deadline. Paul’s winning bid for the piece was $562,555.42, including the buyer’s premium. Josh Bernstein, from the law firm 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, and the hearing on the temporary injunction is scheduled for October 9.Heritage Auctions promoted the floor as “the ultimate Michael Jordan display piece.” The description detailed an 8-by-8-foot section of the “original used floor from the 1994-98 United Center.” It was signed by Jordan and included the inscriptions “Air Jordan”, “5X MVP”, “6X Finals MVP”, “10X Scoring Title”, and “HOF 2009”. The Heritage description also mentioned a certificate of authenticity from Upper Deck Authentication and third-party authentication from PSA/DNA and Beckett Authentication Services. A Heritage Auctions spokesperson stated that the auction house does not consider Paul’s request to be justified and added that concessions were made for Paul to “accommodate any in-person inspection and reasonable efforts for further review.”“It is evident that 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,” stated Bernstein.
Josh Bernstein
Paul’s request argues that the floor 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 request, PSA certification indicates that the Bulls logo appears different from photos from the 2001-05 seasons. After Paul won the lot, Bernstein requested documentation from Heritage. In emails included in court documents, Heritage’s sports auction director, Chris Ivy, acknowledged that there is no “such documentation… that matches the floor with 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, not with the wood grain, which is what PSA used for its provided photo matches”. The request acknowledges that the Upper Deck certificate refers to the years 1995-98 and that the PSA/DNA photo-matching certificate “claims to have matched the item with” the 2001-02 to 2005-06 seasons. The comments from Upper Deck, Beckett, and PSA are unknown.“We stand behind every item we sell. This lot would not have been included in the auction unless we were completely certain of its authenticity,” Heritage stated, reiterating that the floor was acquired directly from the Bulls.
Heritage Auctions
