Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani and his agent, Nez Balelo, have been hit with a civil lawsuit in Hawaii First Circuit Court that accuses them of derailing a $240 million luxury housing development planned for the Big Island’s Hapuna Coast. The complaint, filed on Aug. 8 by real-estate developer Kevin J. Hayes Sr. and broker Tomoko Matsumoto, alleges that Balelo used Ohtani’s global celebrity to pressure project partner Kingsbarn Realty Capital to terminate the pair’s roles in the venture. According to the 13-page filing, Ohtani was brought in under a 2023 endorsement agreement to serve as the “celebrity spokesperson” for The Vista at Mauna Kea Resort, a 14-home enclave where residences were expected to sell for an average of $17.3 million. The plaintiffs say Balelo repeatedly demanded business concessions and threatened to withdraw Ohtani from the project unless those demands were met, culminating in their ouster last month. The suit seeks damages for alleged tortious interference and unjust enrichment, claiming the termination cost the plaintiffs millions in potential profit, management fees and commissions. Hayes and Matsumoto contend they spent 11 years assembling the venture and that Ohtani had agreed to buy one of the houses and build a small training facility on site, commitments they say were leveraged against them. Large portions of the complaint are redacted, but it accuses the defendants of mounting a “calculated and unlawful scheme” to seize greater control of the development and a neighboring project. Kingsbarn, in an emailed statement, called the allegations “completely frivolous and without merit.” Creative Artists Agency, which represents Ohtani through Balelo, declined to comment, and neither Ohtani nor Balelo has publicly responded to the suit. The litigation adds to the off-field scrutiny surrounding Ohtani, 31, who signed a record 10-year, $700 million contract with the Dodgers after the 2023 season and helped lead the club to the 2024 World Series title. No court date has been set.