A former employee is hitting back at the Braves with a counterclaim in the Hank Aaron Memorabilia case

The Atlanta Braves celebrated the 50th anniversary of Hank Aaron’s 715th home run this year. But more recently, that moment has become a point of contention for the organization.

AJC’s Bill Rankin and Chris Vivlamore reported On Friday, former Braves employee Ben Acree filed a counterclaim in the Hank Aaron memorabilia case, claiming the organization damaged his reputation.

In the filing, which took place Wednesday, Acree, his father, Bill Acree, and Heritage Auctions said the Braves exposed Ben to “public hatred and/or ridicule.” According to the AJC, he is seeking unspecified damages.

“Counterclaims, such as the one filed by Acree in Cobb County Superior Court, are not uncommon in such cases where civil defendants claim their reputations have been defamed,” Rankin and Vivlamore wrote. “Bill Acree and Heritage have yet to file responses to the Braves lawsuit.

“In his response, Ben Acree denies all allegations about the memorabilia that were filed in the lawsuit filed by the Braves.”

Acree filed its counterclaim in response to the Braves’ lawsuit against the father and son. In the first suit, The Braves charged Acres with illegal possession of memorabilia.

The memorabilia involved in the dispute are the bases and home plate that were on the field at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium when Aaron hit his record 715th home run on April 8, 1974. Aaron’s homer that night moved him past Babe Ruth as MLB’s All-Time Home Run Leader.

In the Braves’ lawsuit, which they filed on Sept. 27, the organization requested the return of the souvenir. The Braves also proposed seeking damages and a court order naming them the “rightful owners” of the bases and home.

Currently, Heritage Auctions, a Texas-based auction company, owns the bases.

Bill began working for the Braves in 1966. He held several positions over a 50-year career. Ben worked for the Braves from 1997-2016 as part of the home club staff.

In the counterclaim, Acres alleged that the Braves “knowingly and falsely or with reckless disregard for falsity” claimed the memorabilia’s authenticity.

Acree’s attorney, Mark Spix, told the AJC the Braves “don’t have a case.”

“I don’t think they have a good provenance,” Spix said. “I don’t think they have a good claim to legal title.

“What did they plead in that trial that makes you so sure that all these things really belong to the current Speeds?”

One of Spix’s challenges was that the Braves had been sold out several times since Aaron’s record-setting home run. Liberty Media bought team in 2007.