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Hip-hop artist Flo Rida, His real name is Tramar Dillard, he was awarded $82.6 million by a jury in South Florida on Wednesday after winning a lawsuit against Celsius energy drinks.
Dillard and his production company, Strong Arm Productions, sued Boca Raton-based Celsius Holdings Inc in Broward County Court in May 2021 after they alleged the company breached a contract with him and then tried to hide the money.
the Rapper and singer He said the company did not abide by the terms of the endorsement deal.
“Essentially, I helped give birth to this company, and all we were looking for were some trustworthy people who acted like they were family,” Dillard told the Associated Press. “And then when it came to today’s success, they forgot about me.”
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Rapper Tramar Dillard, better known as Flo Rida, appears in a Broward County courtroom Tuesday, January 10, 2023, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He was awarded $82.6 million on Wednesday, January 18, after a South Florida arbitration panel found that the decision makers from Centennial Energy (Joe Cavaretta/South Florida Sun Sentinel via AP, Paul)
The civil complaint showed that Dillard was a brand ambassador for Celsius from 2014 to 2018. During those years, he was “instrumental” in ushering in a new era for the company’s “brand development, growth, and expansion,” resulting in exposure to millions around the world, the AP reported. Press.
Dillard and his attorneys argued that the partnership paved the way for Celsius to grow its suite of products, including a powder product and a new line called Celsius Heat in conjunction with the Flo Rida partnership.
The company has been selling and collecting royalties for its powdered products ever since.
Celsius’s attorneys have argued in court and in previous filings that the company experienced its greatest success after the end of Dillard’s endorsement deal, adding that “other business decisions” led to an increase in Sales and inventory value.
Celsius could still appeal the verdict.
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Attorney John J. Austal holds a box of Celsius Drink Powder was part of an endorsement deal between Flo Rida and the company in Broward County Courthouse, Tuesday, January 17, 2023, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. (Joe Cavaretta/South Florida Sun Sentinel via AP)
Attorney John Austal said Dillard wanted the 1% ownership he had promised and would be willing to Stock acceptance in lieu of money awarded by a jury.
Austal said Dillard liked the products and referred to the four-year partnership as “extremely successful”.
“There were some benchmarks,” Austal said. “He was supposed to get stock when certain things happened. And there was disagreement about whether those benchmarks were reached.” “That’s what this was about.”
Dillard said he would like to move on from the legal battle and work with the company again in the future. He said he still drank Celsius products and even owned shares in the company.
FILE – Singer Flo Rida performs at halftime during a football game between the New York Jets and Denver Broncos on Sunday, Sept. 26, 2021 in Denver. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)
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“I’m still the owner of the company,” Dillard told the Associated Press. “And when you basically plant the seed of something successful, you can’t help but have unconditional love.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.