A jury awarded rapper Flo Rida an $82 million verdict Wednesday in a lawsuit against energy drink company Celsius.
Flo Rida originally claimed the company owed him $30,000 for a breach of contract, according to TMZ. He claimed that he helped Celsius grow into the company it is today.
Hip hop artist Flo Rida was awarded $82.6 million on Wednesday after a South Florida jury found that the makers of Celsius energy drinks breached a contract with the rapper and singer, and tried to hide money from him. https://t.co/lfXvte6wPn
— The Associated Press (@AP) January 18, 2023
The lawsuit was about whether Flo Rida’s deal with the company was set to end once Celsius hit sales marks, TMZ reported. Flo Rida claimed the deal did not end with increased sales.
“Basically, I helped birth this company, and all we was looking for was some trustworthy people who acted as if they were family,” the rapper said, according to the Associated Press (AP). “And then when it comes down to the success of today, they just forgot about me.”
Flo Rida was reportedly a brand ambassador for the company from 2014 to 2018 and helped rebrand the company, according to the AP. (RELATED: Rapper A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie Hit With Lawsuit After Allegedly Clogging Toilets Of Rental Mansion)
“He loved the product, and it’s been a very successful four-year relationship,” Flo Rida’s attorney John Uustal said, the AP reported. “There were some benchmarks. He was supposed to get stock when certain things happened. And there became a dispute about whether those benchmarks had been reached. So that’s what this was about.”
Flo Rida reportedly owns stock in Celsius and plans to continue to drink the company’s products, the AP reported.