In a surprising turn of events, football legend David Beckham is reportedly suing Hollywood star Mark Wahlberg, a former friend and neighbour, over an 8.5 million pound dispute. Beckham alleges that Wahlberg misled him during a business deal and has accused Wahlberg’s F45 Training company of engaging in ‘fraudulent conduct’.
David Beckham Company
David Beckham is a retired English footballer, widely recognized as one of the greatest football players of all time. He played for clubs like Manchester United, Real Madrid, LA Galaxy, AC Milan, Paris Saint-Germain, and the England national team. Beckham is also known for his high-profile marriage to Victoria Beckham, a former member of the Spice Girls, and for his various business ventures, fashion endeavors, and philanthropic work.
According to a report by The Sun, Beckham’s company DB Ventures Ltd initiated legal action against Wahlberg’s F45 Training in 2022. Initially, Beckham filed the case alongside Australian golf entrepreneur Greg Norman, but a judge later instructed them to present their cases separately.
Fraud Allegations
In 2020, Beckham teamed up with F45 as their global ambassador. However, their collaboration soured when Beckham began promoting his own line of personalized workouts. The disagreement arose over shares that Beckham alleges were promised to him but were only revealed later. Unfortunately, by the time the share prices were disclosed, they had significantly dropped, causing Beckham to miss out on a potential profit of £8.5 million. These types of fraud are becoming quite common in the sports sector.
Beckham and Norman claim that they were deceived by Wahlberg into becoming ambassadors for F45 Training. Additionally, a separate case has been filed against Wahlberg’s investment firm and F45 founders Adam Gilchrist and Rob Deutsch.
The former England captain allegedly lost over 8.5 million pounds when stocks he was promised were withheld, only for share prices to plummet later. Wahlberg and his co-defendants have vehemently denied the allegations, labelling them as baseless and requesting the dismissal of the lawsuit. They argue that Beckham’s company is deflecting blame, stating, “The 209-page, 610-paragraph SAC [complaint] tries to make up with length what it lacks in merit.”
Beckham, who had previously promoted F45 on Instagram, has since deleted those posts. Beckham and Wahlberg were neighbors in the same Beverly Hills neighborhood when Beckham moved to Los Angeles in 2007.
Meanwhile, Beckham’s wife, Victoria, celebrated her 50th birthday in style on Saturday. The celebration took place at Oswald’s, a private members club located in London’s Mayfair district.
In attendance were Beckham, their children Brooklyn, Romeo, Cruz, and Harper, as well as Victoria’s former Spice Girl bandmates Emma Bunton, Mel C, Mel B, and Geri Horner. Other notable celebrities present included Eva Longoria, Gordon Ramsay, and Tom Cruise.
