David Beckham’s $14 Million Lawsuit Against Mark Wahlberg and F45: How Beckham Reportedly Lost $9.3 Million Because of Mark Wahlberg’s Fitness Brand?
Former English professional footballer David Beckham is hailed as one of the greatest and most recognized midfielders of his generation. The football legend is considered to be a British cultural icon, and his marriage to Victoria Beckham contributed to his already popular celebrity status, beyond the game.
David Beckham is reportedly entangled in a lawsuit against F54, a global fitness brand that is co-owned by actor Mark Wahlberg. The lawsuit brought in by Beckham in April 2023 claims that the fitness brand had failed to abide by their contractual agreement. David Beckham’s lawsuit claims that the delay or not complying with what had been agreed upon had cost him nearly $9.3 million.
David Beckham and Mark Wahlberg’s companies are entangled in a $14 million lawsuit
According to reports by Today, David Beckham, through his company DB Ventures, formed a five-year agreement with F45 Training in 2020, before it went public in 2021. With a five-year agreement, it was reported that the former football legend would help the company grow.
DB Ventures filed a lawsuit against F45 Training in the United States District Court of Central California in April 2023. The lawsuit alleges that F45 Training failed to abide by the contract, according to which it owed Beckham shares of stock. Beckham, before the company went public, helped it grow by posting about it on social media (the posts have now been deleted). The training company agreed to pay the football player $1.5 million a year along with shares of stock in the company.
The reports suggest that the stock would have been available to Beckham in six months and again in twelve months after the company went public in 2021. Beckham’s attorney said in the complaint,
“Despite DBVL upholding its end of the bargain, however, F45 failed to issue substantial cash and equity compensation to DBVL as required by the parties’ agreement.”
The complaint also alleges that the attorneys had tried to remind F45 Training, where Mark Wahlberg serves as Chief Branding Officer and owes 36% of the stake about their contract. They noted that the stock price dropped significantly over eight months, and the shares were worth about $9.3 million less than they were in January 2022. The NY Times reports that Beckham has claimed that the company withheld the amount they owed him when the business began to falter in 2022 due to mismanagement and macroeconomic pressure.
Beckham brought in a lawsuit against F45 Training in 2023, claiming that he is entitled to $14 million in damages. A jury trial is scheduled for January 2025 to settle the breach of contract.
Judge denied Mark Wahlberg’s F45 Training’s motion to dismiss the lawsuit by David Beckham
Back in September 2023, according to Fox News, Wahlberg’s company, F45 Training, had initially sought to have the lawsuit dismissed, claiming that DBVL had skewed the reading of the contract. They said at the time,
“This is a breach of contract action that cannot stand because it is based on a skewed reading of the parties’ agreement that is contrary to its plain language and clear intent.”
But a judge denied the training company’s request. However, the NY Times reported that F45 Training had allegedly claimed that David Beckham had failed to perform his set of obligations. They also suggested that the former football player is now attempting to benefit from his wrongdoings and has unclean hands.
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This is not the first time F45 Training Company has been involved in a legal controversy, as back in 2017, former NFL wide receiver Terrell Owens sued the company. He claimed that the company owed him $25,000 for each of the first 25 F45 gym openings that shot a promo video for the brand. It has not been reported how the lawsuit ended, but the company did say that Owens’ claims were fabricated.
Both Mark Wahlberg and David Beckham’s representatives have not yet commented on the present situation.
