On Wednesday, hip hop artist Flo Rida was awarded $82.6 million. This came after a South Florida jury found that the creaters of Celsius energy drinks violated a contract. They are also said to have attempted to hide funds from him.
Flo Rida, whose real name is Tramar Dillard, and his production company, Strong Arm Productions, had filed a lawsuit against Celsius Holdings Inc. This occured in Broward County, in May 2021. He noted that the company had breached the terms of an endorsement deal.
“Basically, I helped birth this company. All we was looking for was some trustworthy people who acted as if they were family. And when it comes down to the success of today, they just forgot about me,” Dillard stated.
Attorneys for Celsius said that the company had its greatest accomplishments after the deal with Flo Rida ended. They said that other factors are the reasons why their sales and stock value increased.
The complaint noted that Flo Rida was a brand ambassador for Celsius from 2014 to 2018. At that time, Dillard is said to have assisted with growth and development and introduced individuals to Celsius, internationally. Dillard and his lawyers argued that with him working with Celsius their product portfolio grew. This included adding a powder product and a new line called Celsius Heat. The business has continuously sold and made money off of its powder products since then.
Flo Rida’s lawyer said that the rapper wanted 1% ownership that he was promised. However, he would still be open to taking the stock instead of the money that he was rewarded.
Dillard stated that he still drinks products from Celsius and even has some stock in the company. He added that he wouldn’t mind partnering up with the company again in the future.
“I’m still an owner in the company. And when you basically planted the seed for something that is successful, you can’t help but have unconditional love,” he commented.
