A landlord across from Raimondi Park has taken the Oakland Ballers to court, claiming that years of towering home runs and wild foul balls have turned his West Oakland commercial building into an unintended backstop. The complaint, which names both the team and the city, centers on a property near 20th and Campbell and argues that what was pitched as a neighborhood revival project has instead left windows shattered, a roof dented and light fixtures busted. Team leaders and neighbors say the case has thrown a spotlight on a familiar urban ballpark problem when balls leave the field, they can leave a mark.
What the lawsuit claims
The lawsuit, filed by Ajor Property Group and owner Hassan Najafi, seeks $325,000 in damages, according to KTVU. Najafi’s attorney, Robert Jweinat, told the station that the physical impacts are visible across the building. Ballers CEO Paul Freedman told KTVU the team has offered to cover what it sees as legitimate claims but disputes the size of some of the requests.
KTVU also reports that the Ballers have agreed to indemnify the city, meaning the team would assume financial responsibility for any legal outcome tied to the case.
What reporters have uncovered
The complaint includes two years of email exchanges and, as reported by SFGATE, alleges the Ballers and the city failed to prevent baseballs from damaging the building at 1661 20th St. According to SFGATE, the filing sought at least $350,000 and includes photos and video that the plaintiff says show baseball-sized holes, cracked fixtures and roof dents.
The suit also claims the team did not raise the left-field netting to the 50-foot maximum required by the field-use agreement between the Ballers and the city, a detail that has become central to the argument that more could have been done to keep balls inside the park.
Ballpark upgrades and a tight-knit neighborhood
City records show the Ballers negotiated a license to use Raimondi Park and invested roughly $1.6 million in upgrades to the field, as outlined by the City of Oakland. Those documents and local reporting note that the park still relies on temporary amenities and that nearby rooftops and windows sit close to left field, a tight configuration that has increased friction between the ballpark and adjacent property owners.
Residents and fans have kicked around straightforward fixes, such as taller netting or a higher outfield fence, to cut down on the number of balls leaving the park without derailing the broader effort to bring more life and activity to the area.
What comes next
The case, filed at the start of the season, is now moving through Alameda County civil court, and both sides say they plan to hold their ground. Freedman told SFGATE that the Ballers have no intent to settle and that the organization does not have an extra $350,000 lying around, a pointed reference to the higher dollar figure cited in the filing.
Earlier reporting also notes that routine play has already produced incidents, including a foul ball that struck and damaged a vehicle driven by a television news crew, a real-world example of why neighbors are pushing for either repairs or physical changes to the field. For now, the dispute leaves Oakland with a very practical question about small urban ballparks: how to balance neighborhood revitalization with basic public-safety protections when the long ball starts traveling a little too far.
