David Beckham’s Legal Battle with Mark Wahlberg Over Fitness Deal
David Beckham is taking legal action against Mark Wahlberg after a fitness deal left him more than £8,000,000 out of pocket. The footballing legend’s firm, DB Ventures Ltd, claims the actor ‘duped’ Beckham into collaborating with F45.
The Background
F45 Training is an Australian franchiser and operator of fitness centres based in Austin, Texas, in which fitness guru Wahlberg bought a minority stake in 2019. Beckham, 48, agreed to be the firm’s global ambassador when he moved to Los Angeles in 2007, relocating his family when he signed a deal to join LA Galaxy. He and Wahlberg, 52, soon became friends then, in November 2020, Beckham signed on to work with F45.
The Allegations
However, their partnership allegedly turned sour after the Manchester United star promoted his own range of personalised workouts. He posed for photographs at one of the fitness centres and promoted F45 to his millions of Instagram followers as part of the deal. The posts have since been taken down. What followed was a row over shares he claimed to have been promised.
- Shares in the company were promised to be shared in early 2022.
- Shares were not divulged until months later.
- The share price had dropped significantly by the time shares were disclosed.
Lawyers for Beckham claim he lost out on £8.5 million in potential profit because of the delay. Beckham is also suing the actor’s firm, Mark Wahlberg Investment Group (MWIG), and gym group F45’s founders Adam Gilchrist and Rob Deutsch.
The Legal Battle
Wahlberg and his co-defendants have branded the claims baseless, imploring a judge to dismiss the allegations of ‘fraudulent conduct’. The defendants’ motion to dismiss goes on to say DBVL are blaming everyone but themselves. Beckham originally filed the lawsuit several years ago and the case has been ongoing since then.
It began when the footie star and golfing legend Greg Norman both launched suits against F45 in Californian courts in October 2022. A judge then reportedly ruled they had to file separate lawsuits.
Current Status
Meanwhile, F45’s share price was once at $16 (£12.94) a share, but they are now worth just 15 cents.
