A judge on Friday declared Steve Williams
– the Giants fan who ended up with Barry Bonds’ 700th homerun
ball – the lawful owner, freeing him to sell the souvenir
immediately.
That means Hollister resident Tim Murphy will have to watch
Williams reap the benefits from the prized ball, which analysts
have valued at more than $100,000. But Murphy indicated he might
not be done and his attorney said he may sue Williams for the
proceeds.
San Francisco – A judge on Friday declared Steve Williams – the Giants fan who ended up with Barry Bonds’ 700th homerun ball – the lawful owner, freeing him to sell the souvenir immediately.
That means Hollister resident Tim Murphy will have to watch Williams reap the benefits from the prized ball, which analysts have valued at more than $100,000. But Murphy indicated he might not be done and his attorney said he may sue Williams for the proceeds.
“The ruling today was only for a TRO (temporary restraining order) prohibiting the sale of the ball. The decision made today had nothing to do with the merits of the case. At this time I’m looking at all my options. Right now, I just want to spend some quiet time with my family,” said Murphy in a statement released by his wife.
Murphy, 40, has claimed he owned the ball because he had it locked behind his knees while at the bottom of a scrum before Williams swiped it.
“I’m going to sell it as soon as possible,” Williams, a 26-year-old mortgage-broker assistant from Pacifica, told reporters after the hearing.
San Francisco County Superior Court Judge Ronald Quidachay’s decision came after a 90-minute hearing, which included six lawyers repeatedly replaying footage of the historic homer and the 80-second melee at SBC Park for the ball.
“You just haven’t had sufficient evidence,” the judge said.
Murphy was trying to get the judge to block Williams from selling the ball. That would allow a trial in a bid by Murphy to win the ball outright and sell it himself.
Although the judge said he didn’t think there was enough evidence for Murphy to prevail at trial, Murphy’s attorney, David Kornbluh, said he may still continue with the lawsuit.
“This doesn’t conclude the litigation,” Kornbluh said after the hearing.
A second man who said he was the rightful owner of Bonds’ No. 700, Alex Patino, 37 of San Francisco, said Wednesday he was going to sue Williams as well. No such suit has been filed.
Bonds on Sept. 17 became the first new member of the 700-homer club in 31 years, joining Babe Ruth and Hank Aaron, when he blasted a pitch to the left-center bleachers. He now has 703 career home runs and is closing in on Ruth (714) and Aaron (755).
Williams’ attorney, Daniel Horowitz, said he and three other lawyers were representing Williams for free. As they stood by an army of news cameras outside the courtroom, Horowitz quipped, “We call ourselves the pro-bono all-stars.”
It’s not the first time fans headed to court over the fate of a Bonds homer. In October, 2001, Bonds’ record-setting 73rd homer of the season sparked litigation that ended when a judge here ordered two men to split the $450,000 the ball fetched, a year after the homer.
Free Lance Staff Writer Kollin Kosmicki contributed to this report.
