There have been more than a few stories in the news recently about sports memorabilia being auctioned off without the consent of the true owner. Some of the high profile cases surround NBA ultra-super star Michael Jordan and New York Yankees great Reggie Jackson. Objects owned by these sports celebrities have been auctioned off without their consent or the consent of the actual owner. For instance, Michael Jordan's high school girlfriend was shocked to learn that a love letter she received from Jordan decades ago had been removed from her home (stolen, she says) and auctioned off online. She only learned about the auction of the personal letter while watching a news report on TV.

Of course, over time, objects that once belonged to a sports figure may fall into the hands of someone else or be given to another person. However, in the recent cases, actual owners claim that they did not consent to having their property sold. Enter Reggie Jackson.

Fighting back

Baseball Hall of Famer Jackson sued an auction company in Las Vegas for attempting to sell the Cartier watch given to him by the Yankees commemorating his 400th career home run. The lawsuit filed by Jackson's attorneys alleges that Jackson's stepmother, Resurrection Jackson, provided items belonging to Jackson, which had once been in the possession of his father, to the auction house without his (the owner's) consent. The custom-made Cartier watch in question was loaned by Jackson to his father with the caveat that the watch would be returned upon his father's death. Reggie Jackson's father died in 1994. Jackson alleges that his stepmother, in order to sell the watch and other related items at auction, has made a fake claim of ownership.

Source: Republican & Herald