Logan Paul Questions Authenticity of Michael Jordan Article Awarded at Auction
WWE star and social media influencer Logan Paul has filed a lawsuit against Heritage Auctions in a Texas district court. The dispute centers on the authenticity of a fragment 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 ground before making the payment, the original deadline for which was September 25. Paul was informed by Heritage that he would lose his rights to the item 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 has been set for October 9.Heritage promoted the floor as “the ultimate Michael Jordan display piece.” The advertisement described 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 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 in 1994 through the 1998 NBA championship season” until the 2005-06 season, when the floor was “retired and replaced according to NBA protocol”. Heritage’s announcement 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 is justified, adding that concessions were made to Paul “to facilitate any in-person inspection and reasonable efforts for further review.” Paul’s lawsuit alleges that the condition of the floor “does not match the floor from 1995-1998, as a result of the floor being replaced or, as Heritage claims, repainted and refurbished.” According to the lawsuit, PSA certification says the Bulls logo appears different from 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 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.Authenticity is fundamental 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
