FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Celsius energy drinks would be nothing without the backing of recording artist Flo Rida, and the Boca Raton-based company owes him more than $82.6 million in damages for trying to hide it, a Broward jury decided Wednesday.
The verdict came on the second day of deliberation, after jurors were treated to a crash course in contract law, endorsement deals, revenue sharing and who gets credit when a company’s fortunes soar.
In this case the company was Celsius Holdings, which was a minor player in the market when it inked a deal with Tramar Dillard, professionally known as Flo Rida, and his company Strong Arm productions in 2014. The artist proceeded to publicly connect himself with the product, conspicuously featuring Celsius drinks in his music videos, including the award-winning 2015 single “My House,” which was played in court last week.
