Heritage Auctions sues Braves in Hank Aaron memorabilia dispute

Heritage Auctions filed a civil lawsuit against the Atlanta Braves on Wednesday over a disputed memorabilia auction involving the bases and home plate that Hank Aaron touched after hitting his 715th career home run on April 8, 1974.

The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas just days before Heritage’s auction of the bases and home plate was to close Sunday. In the suit, Heritage says the bases, home plate and other disputed items are located in its Dallas offices.

“The items in dispute will be auctioned online and live in Dallas, Texas between August 23-25, 2024,” the lawsuit states.

Heritage filed its suit in the wake of a cease-and-desist letter that the Braves sent Friday questioning the provenance and authenticity of the items and how some of the memorabilia was acquired.

Heritage said the son of a longtime Braves employee consigned the items to the auction house and that the Braves’ letter included false statements. The suit accuses the Braves of “defamation” and “business disparagement,” and requests, among other things, damages in excess of $75,000.

On Tuesday, Heritage halted the auction of the bases and home plate. In a statement to ESPN, Heritage said the Braves “did not have all the facts concerning the Braves material in the upcoming auction. Heritage Auctions is currently sharing that information with the Braves’ counsel, and we hope to have this expediently and amicably resolved.”

On Wednesday, after the lawsuit was filed, Heritage said it would not comment on a pending legal matter, but in a statement added: “Heritage Auctions prides itself on transparency and authenticity and stands behind every item we offer at auction.”

A Braves spokesperson said Wednesday night: “We intend to vigorously defend the ownership of our property in a court of law and will not be issuing any further statements as this is an ongoing legal matter.”

The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum told ESPN on Tuesday that the third-base bag from Aaron’s 715th home-run game was presented to him, then later donated by Aaron to the Hall in 1982. He subsequently donated his entire collection to the Hall.

The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum couldn’t immediately be reached for comment after the lawsuit was filed Wednesday.