A South Florida jury has given Flo Rida a good feeling — and $82.6 million USD — by finding energy drink company Celsius Holdings guilty of breaching its contract with the rapper.
On Wednesday (January 18), the Broward County jurors sided with the hitmaker, who had taken the stand last week to testify that Celsius had failed to pay the royalties and stock shares it owed him as part of an endorsement deal dating back to 2014.
Within the house of the law, the company was found to owe Flo Rida 250,000 shares from that original contract and 500,000 shares from another contract the rapper signed in 2016, as well as royalties for the sparkling orange drinks he endorsed in 2018 [via NBC News].
"This was a long journey, but we prevailed. From the start I only wanted what I worked for, nothing more, nothing less," the artist born Tramar Dillard said in a statement. "I gained a new respect for the judicial system, most importantly, and I just want to say God bless America."
In a separate statement, his attorney John Uustal added, "We said we'd trust the jury to do the right thing, we'd trust the verdict, accept the decision of the jury. I'm glad, in this case, the jury concluded that Flo Rida should get what he worked for."
After the verdict, Dillard celebrated as anyone would — by cracking open a can of the company's titular energy drink.
Initially, Flo Rida sued Celsius for $30,000 in 2021. Those damages increased a head-spinning amount over the course of the trial, resulting in the rapper now being owed $82 million.
As he and his representation argued in court, Flo Rida's endorsement was instrumental in the company's success, helping to lift it out of dire financial straits. When he signed the contract, Celsius was worth $10 million USD — and before the trial, it was worth $8.6 billion USD [via Markets Insider]. However, its stock fell over 12 percent during the legal proceedings, bringing the company's market valuation down to $7.6 billion USD.
Uustal said the rapper was still seeking the one percent ownership of Celsius that he had been promised, and would be willing to accept the stock instead of the monetary award.
On Wednesday (January 18), the Broward County jurors sided with the hitmaker, who had taken the stand last week to testify that Celsius had failed to pay the royalties and stock shares it owed him as part of an endorsement deal dating back to 2014.
Within the house of the law, the company was found to owe Flo Rida 250,000 shares from that original contract and 500,000 shares from another contract the rapper signed in 2016, as well as royalties for the sparkling orange drinks he endorsed in 2018 [via NBC News].
"This was a long journey, but we prevailed. From the start I only wanted what I worked for, nothing more, nothing less," the artist born Tramar Dillard said in a statement. "I gained a new respect for the judicial system, most importantly, and I just want to say God bless America."
In a separate statement, his attorney John Uustal added, "We said we'd trust the jury to do the right thing, we'd trust the verdict, accept the decision of the jury. I'm glad, in this case, the jury concluded that Flo Rida should get what he worked for."
After the verdict, Dillard celebrated as anyone would — by cracking open a can of the company's titular energy drink.
Initially, Flo Rida sued Celsius for $30,000 in 2021. Those damages increased a head-spinning amount over the course of the trial, resulting in the rapper now being owed $82 million.
As he and his representation argued in court, Flo Rida's endorsement was instrumental in the company's success, helping to lift it out of dire financial straits. When he signed the contract, Celsius was worth $10 million USD — and before the trial, it was worth $8.6 billion USD [via Markets Insider]. However, its stock fell over 12 percent during the legal proceedings, bringing the company's market valuation down to $7.6 billion USD.
Uustal said the rapper was still seeking the one percent ownership of Celsius that he had been promised, and would be willing to accept the stock instead of the monetary award.
