Logan Paul Questions Authenticity of Michael Jordan Object and Files Lawsuit
WWE star and social media influencer Logan Paul has filed a lawsuit in a Texas district court against Heritage Auctions, alleging concerns about the authenticity of a section of the United Center floor signed by Michael Jordan that Paul acquired at auction. According to court documents, Paul was not allowed to investigate the authenticity of the soil before Heritage requested payment, the original deadline for which was September 25. Paul was informed by Heritage that he would lose his rights to the soil if he did not meet the deadline. Paul’s winning bid was $562,555.42, including the buyer’s premium. Josh Bernstein of Akerman LLP, Paul’s attorney, requested a temporary restraining order and a temporary injunction against Heritage Auctions, which was granted on Thursday morning. The hearing date on the temporary injunction was set for October 9.Heritage promoted the floor as “the ultimate Michael Jordan display piece.” The description detailed that it was an 8-by-8-foot section of “Original Game-Used Court from the 1994-98 United Center.” It is signed by Jordan and includes the inscriptions “Air Jordan”, “5X MVP”, “6X Finals MVP”, “10X Scoring Title” and “HOF 2009”. Heritage’s description stated that the floor was “honored by three World Championships and the footsteps 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 auction house does not believe Paul’s claim has merit, adding that Heritage made concessions for Paul to “accommodate any in-person inspection and reasonable efforts for further review.”“It goes without saying that authenticity is everything in the collector community. Collectors like Logan deserve, and are entitled to, proof of authenticity that withstands scrutiny and addresses obvious gaps and inconsistencies.”
Josh Bernstein
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 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 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 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.“We stand behind every item we sell. This lot would not have been included in the auction unless we were completely sure of its authenticity.”
Heritage
