Logan Paul Seeks to Halt Michael Jordan Memorabilia Auction Over Authenticity Concerns
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 alleges that he 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 piece 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 were granted on Thursday morning. The hearing date on the temporary injunction was set for October 9.Heritage promoted the floor piece as “the best Michael Jordan display piece.” The description stated that it was an 8-by-8-foot section of the “Original Game-Used Floor 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 “consecrated 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 any merit, adding that concessions were made for Paul to “conduct any in-person inspection and reasonable efforts for further review.” “We stand behind every item we sell,” said Heritage, reiterating that the floor was acquired directly from the Bulls. “This lot would not have been included in the auction unless we were completely sure of its authenticity.” Paul’s lawsuit alleges that the floor “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 auction. 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 itself, not with the wood grain, which is what PSA used for its provided photographic matches”. The complaint 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 to” the 2001-02 to 2005-06 seasons. Upper Deck, Beckett, and PSA could not be immediately reached for comment.It is evident that authenticity is everything 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, Logan Paul’s Lawyer
