David Beckham is suing Mark Wahlberg over a fitness brand deal that allegedly left him £8.5million out of pocket.
The former footballer is seeking damages from the Hollywood actor and his business associates after a partnership with F45, which saw him promote his own range of workouts, turned sour.
Mark became a minority shareholder in fitness brand F45 in 2019, after buying a stake in the company through his investment group.
According to The Sun, the 48-year-old’s firm, David Beckham Ventures Ltd (DBVL), had previously sought damages of as much as $18.85million from F45.
However, David is now seeking damages directly from the actor’s Mark Wahlberg Investment Group, as well as F45’s founders Adam Gilchrist and Rob Deutsch.
The former Man United ace struck up a friendship with Mark when they lived in the same neighbourhood in Beverly Hills, back when David was playing for LA Galaxy.
According to reports, he agreed to become the global ambassador for F45 in November 2020, and promoted the brand on social media in posts that have since been deleted.
As part of the deal, David was allegedly promised shares in F45.
However, the father-of-four has claimed the stocks he was promised weren’t divulged until shares prices plummeted from around $12 a share to $3 a share.
His lawyers have claimed the delay cost him as much as £8.5million in potential profit.
In response, Mark and his co-defendants have said the allegations of “fraudulent conduct” are baseless, and have asked a judge to dismiss the lawsuit.
David previously teamed up with former golfer Greg Norman to file a case against F45 in California in 2022, but a judge later told them they had to sue separately.
