Rapper Flo Rida Awarded $82 Million In Battle With Energy Drink Company Celsius
Jan. 18 2023, Published 2:15 p.m. ET
The court battle between Flo Rida and Celsius energy drink finally came to a close this week with a civil jury awarding the South Florida rapper $82 million in damages, RadarOnline.com has learned.
Flo Rida, 43, brought the lawsuit against the company accusing it of breaching their endorsement contract with him. He claimed to be owed money after he helped launch the beverage in 2014. He continued to endorse the product for years.
Celsius' argued Flo had been paid "far in excess of what he is entitled to," and claimed that the artist should have brought the complaint forward sooner.
The company then filed a countersuit against the Florida artist in an attempt to recoup funds paid to him.
According to Law & Crime, during the closing arguments Flo Rida's attorney, John Uustal, said that his client only wanted the 1% ownership that he was promised, rather than a specific dollar amount.
DAILY. BREAKING. CELEBRITY NEWS. ALL FREE.
Ultimately, the jury sided with Flo and awarded him $82,640,450 million in damages.
Prior to the jury announcing their decision, Celsius Holdings CEO John Fieldly tried to downplay Flo Rida's role in helping the successful brand.
The Celsius Holdings CEO claimed his company's growth was due to his team's hard work — not Flo Rida's seconds-long endorsement in a promotional video.
The jury did not buy Fieldly's claim and sided with Flo.
Flo Rida spoke to Law&Crime Network on the jury's ruling and said that the lawsuit was "about my passion."
"It’s about my team. It’s about my dedication," Flo Rida said. "It’s about something that I started years ago and just to see it come full-fledged like this. I hate for it to be this way."