Logan Paul Seeks to Halt Auction Over Authenticity of Michael Jordan Item
WWE star and renowned influencer, Logan Paul, has filed a lawsuit against Heritage Auctions in a Texas district court. The legal action focuses on concerns 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 was not allowed to verify the authenticity of the ground before making the payment, which was originally due on 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 amounted to $562,555.42, including the buyer’s premium. Paul’s lawyer, Josh Bernstein, of Akerman LLP, requested a temporary restraining order and a temporary injunction against Heritage Auctions. The temporary restraining order was granted on Thursday morning. The hearing date for the temporary injunction was set for October 9.Heritage promoted the floor as “the ultimate Michael Jordan display piece.” The item description stated that it was 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”. 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 concessions were made for Paul to “perform any in-person inspection and reasonable efforts for further review.”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
Paul’s lawsuit alleges that the floor’s condition “does not match the floor from 1995-1998, as a result of the floor having been replaced or, as Heritage claims, repainted and refurbished.” According to the lawsuit, PSA’s 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 records, 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 comparison company Sports Investors Authentication “was unsuccessful because the photo comparison attempts were only to the Bulls logo itself, not to the wood grain, which is what PSA used for its provided photo comparisons”. The lawsuit acknowledges that the Upper Deck certificate refers to the years 1995-98 and that the PSA/DNA photo comparison certificate “claims to have compared the item to” the 2001-02 to 2005-06 seasons.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 Statement
