Today (Jan. 18), a jury sided with Flo Rida after filing a lawsuit against the energy drink company Celsius. As reported by Law&Crime Network, the company owed him over $82 million from an endorsement deal that began in 2014. In photos that were shared on social media, Flo Rida can be seen embracing his attorney, John J. Uustal, after the judge solidified his court win.
In the original complaint provided by Flo Rida’s Strong Arm Productions, the rapper stated that his endorsement of Celsius’ product line was a huge benefit to the company’s overall success. In return, he wasn’t properly compensated for his contribution to the brand, which — as revealed by Uustal during closing arguments — involved Flo Rida possessing a small but important ownership stake:
“One percent of the company, that is what he was supposed to get. Their vision [they] intended happened. This was a big risk for him… He had to give up deals with mature companies worth a lot more money.”
Said complaint also accused Celsius of hiding information with the intention of withholding money: “These material facts were concealed from [the] plaintiffs, which delayed the discovery of [the] defendant’s wrongdoing and deprived them from knowledge relating to their entitlement to additional royalties and shares.”
Celsius responded by stating that the contract made between the two parties was fulfilled. They also believed that Flo Rida‘s endorsement didn’t have any effect since it took place before the end of their agreement in 2018.
Prior to the verdict, Flo Rida spoke to Law&Crime Network about his feelings in regard to the case:
“It’s about my passion. It’s about my team. It’s about my dedication. 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. But… health is wealth more than anything.”