Why is David Beckham Suing Mark Wahlberg’s Company? What You Should Know

David Beckham And Mark Wahlberg were on opposite sides of a legal dispute.

Beckham’s company DB Ventures filed a lawsuit in May 2023 against the fitness franchise F45 Training, in which Wahlberg is partially involved. The soccer star claimed in court documents obtained by TMZ that he was “tricked” into signing an endorsement deal with the company and never received the $10 million he was offered in contract negotiations.

Beckham previously sued F45 Training with a former golfer Greg Norman However, at the end of 2022, a judge ordered the two athletes’ lawsuits to be separated.

Keep scrolling to learn all about Beckham and Wahlberg’s legal battles:

What is F45?

According to the company’s website, F45 Training is “a global fitness and lifestyle community” that offers “functional training and HIIT” workouts as well as nutritional advice. Although founded in Australia in 2011, F45 is based in Austin, Texas and has over 2,000 studios in over 60 countries.

What connection does Mark Wahlberg have to F45?

According to the lawsuit, Wahlberg acquired a 36 percent stake in F45 in 2019 through his investment group. In 2023, he was named F45’s Chief Brand Officer and regularly appears in the company’s promotional materials.

Why is David Beckham suing F45?

Beckham, who signed a five-year contract with F45 in 2020, claimed in the lawsuit that he never received the $10 million he was offered during contract negotiations. He argued that he stuck to his end of the partnership, which “was an improvement.” [F45’s] “This resulted in F45 gaining public profile and credibility and helped introduce new fitness offerings to F45,” while the company reneged on an agreement to compensate him with stock.

“As F45’s business faltered in 2022 due to fiscal mismanagement and macroeconomic pressures, F45 withheld millions of dollars in contractually obligated consideration,” the filing said.

According to the lawsuit, Beckham was promised “nearly 1 million shares” of F45 within six months of the company’s IPO. However, he claimed he received the shares eight months late after they lost $9.3 million in value. Beckham’s legal team also claimed that $5 million worth of additional shares were never delivered.

What damages is David Beckham demanding?

Beckham is seeking $14.3 million in damages, excluding interest.

How did F45 respond to the lawsuit?

F45 filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit, but a judge denied the motion in September 2023, Fox News reported. Accordingly The New York TimesF45 filed a response denying several of Beckham’s allegations and claiming that Beckham had not fully complied with his obligations.

The response accused Beckham of “attempting to profit from his own misconduct” and said the athlete had “unclean hands.”

How are David Beckham and Mark Wahlberg related?

Beckham said in a 2021 statement announcing his partnership with F45 that Wahlberg introduced him to the company.

“I have been a fan of the F45 franchise and training model since it was introduced by my friend Mark Wahlberg,” the statement said. “This partnership is an exciting business venture for me as well and I look forward to the journey with F45 as the company continues to expand globally.”

The two met after David and his wife Victoria Beckhambought a house in Beverly Hills in 2007. Although they later became friends, Wahlberg expressed a problem with the extra attention the Beckhams were paying to his neighborhood in a 2009 interview with the Daily Mail.

“Man, the Beckhams. “It used to be so quiet on my street,” the actor said at the time. “Then David moves in with his family. Suddenly we have paparazzi hanging around day and night.”

Wahlberg added that he was “not sure why.” [David] came to America at all” and joked: “We don’t want your football.” He later explained it The sun that he had no personal problem with David.

“I’ve met him and some of his sons and he seems like a nice guy. … I wanted to make sure he hadn’t taken that [Daily Mail comment] personally,” Wahlberg said.

Is there bad blood between David Beckham and Mark Wahlberg?

Although David is suing F45 and not Wahlberg directly, legal expert and lawyer Neama Rahmaniwho is not involved in the case, tells exclusively Us weekly in April 2024 that the lawsuit still indicates bad blood between the two.

“Mark owns more than 30 percent, [so] “Going against the company essentially means going against Mark,” Rahmani said, adding that a legal victory for Beckham would “really hurt” Wahlberg’s “wallet.”

Rahmani added that celebrities “hate to be dragged into a lawsuit,” which is why it was “surprising” that the dispute went this far.

“The fact that it has come to this makes me believe that negotiations have broken down and things have turned bad between these former friends,” he said.

What did Mark Wahlberg and David Beckham say about the lawsuit?

Neither Wahlberg nor Beckham have publicly commented on the lawsuit. Us have reached out to their legal teams for comment.

Will David Beckham’s lawsuit against F45 go to trial?

A court date has been set and the lawsuit is scheduled to be heard on January 25, 2025, Rahmani said Us that he expects the case to be resolved before it goes to trial.

“I can’t imagine Beckham and Wahlberg in court. Obviously stranger things have happened, but if we’re just talking about money and these types of business disputes, in my experience, at some point there will be some sort of mediation between the parties,” he said. “I expect Wahlberg to make some kind of payment to Beckham to make the problem go away.”