David Beckham sues Mark Wahlberg over $14M loss in F45 gym endorsement
globalnews.caDavid Beckham has filed a lawsuit against former friend Mark Wahlberg over an 8.5-million pound (over C$14.3 million) business dispute surrounding the gym brand F45 Training, which Wahlberg partially owns.
Beckham’s company DB Ventures claimed the owners of F45, a popular high-intensity cardio gym, “duped” the sports star into signing an endorsement deal.
Beckham, 48, filed the lawsuit in the US District Court of California in May 2023, though it was first reported by TMZ this week.
Mark Wahlberg Investment Group was sued, alongside F45 founders Adam Gilchrist and Rob Deutsch.
The former pro soccer player accused F45 of “fraudulent conduct” and said Beckham was misled during business meetings, as reported by the Independent and other outlets that obtained the court filings.
Beckham argued he is owed stock in F45, which he said was never delivered after the company’s market value began to tank in the New York Stock Exchange.
He initially agreed to serve as F45’s global ambassador after befriending Wahlberg, 52, when both actors lived in Los Angeles. The partnership was revealed in 2021 and Beckham was featured in a number of photos, which he and F45 shared separately, endorsing the gym. The images have been removed online by both parties.
Neither of the A-listers has commented publicly on their legal dispute.
Wahlberg and the F45 founders have reportedly filed a motion to dismiss Beckham’s lawsuit.
“The 209-page, 610-paragraph SAC (complaint) tries to make up with length what it lacks in merit,” the defendants motion argued, according to Fox Sports.
A post shared by F45 Training (@f45_training)
Wahlberg, who was an early financial backer of F45, became the company’s chief brand officer in 2023. Earlier in 2019, he became
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