Logan Paul Disputes Authenticity of Michael Jordan Item Acquired at Auction
WWE star and social media influencer Logan Paul has filed a lawsuit against Heritage Auctions 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 records, Paul alleges that he was not allowed to verify the authenticity of the ground before making the payment, which was due on September 25th. He was informed that he would lose his rights to the object if he did not meet the deadline. Paul’s winning bid amounted to $562,555.42, including the buyer’s premium. Josh Bernstein, Paul’s attorney at Akerman LLP, requested a temporary restraining order and a temporary injunction against Heritage Auctions. The restraining order was granted on Thursday morning, and the hearing on the temporary injunction is scheduled for October 9.Heritage promoted the floor as “the ultimate Michael Jordan display piece.” The description detailed an 8-by-8-foot section of the “original game-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”. In the Heritage description, it was stated that the floor had been “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 in 1994 until 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 maintained an exclusive partnership 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 is justified, adding that the auction house made concessions to Paul “to facilitate any in-person inspection and reasonable efforts for further review.” 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 indicates that the Bulls logo appears different from 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 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-matching certificate “claims to have matched the item” with the 2001-02 to 2005-06 seasons. Upper Deck, Beckett, and PSA were not able to be reached for comment.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 inconsistencies.
Josh Bernstein
