Tramar Dillard, popularly known by his hip hop name Flo Rida, who sued the Boca Raton-based energy drink company for breach of contract in May 2021 has been awarded $82.6M by a south Florida jury on Wednesday.
Strong Arm Production, Mr Dillard’s production company sues Celsius Holding Inc. in Broward Country Court for failing to meet conditions in an endorsement deal and then hiding money from him.
Dillard told the Associated Press, “Basically, I helped birth this company and all we was looking for was some trustworthy people who acted as if they were family. And then when it comes down to the success of today, they just forgot about me.”
Mr. Tramar “Flo Rida” Dillard, best known for his hits like “Low” and “Whistle,” was a brand ambassador for Celsius from 2014 to 2018.
His lawyers said that the rapper wanted 1% ownership of the company that he helped build and that the said ownership was previously promised to him. They also claimed that the company owed 250,000 shares to Flo Rida worth a staggering $27 million.
The jury found that the Company had fraudulently withheld information from him. “We said we’d trust the jury to do the right thing, we’d trust the verdict, accept the decision of the jury. I am glad, in this case, the jury concluded that Flo Rida should get what he worked for,” said the head of lawyers’ team representing the rapper.
In a statement issued following the verdict, the rapper said that he had gained a “new respect for the judicial system.”The statement went on to state, “This was a long journey, but we prevailed. From the start, I only wanted what worked for, nothing more, nothing less.”
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