David Beckham and Mark Wahlberg have found themselves on opposite sides of a legal battle.
Beckham’s company DB Ventures filed a lawsuit against the fitness franchise F45 Training, which Wahlberg partially owns, in May 2023. The soccer star claimed in court documents obtained by TMZ that he’d been “duped” 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 former golfer Greg Norman in late 2022, but a judge ordered the two athletes to separate their lawsuits.
Keep scrolling for everything to know about Beckham and Wahlberg’s legal beef:
David Beckham, Mark Wahlberg Karwai Tang;Shy McGrath/WireImage(2)/Getty Images(2)
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 guidance. Although founded in Australia in 2011, F45 is based out of Austin, Texas, and has over 2,000 studios in over 60 countries.
What Is Mark Wahlberg’s Connection to F45?
According to the lawsuit, Wahlberg acquired a 36 percent stake in F45 through his investment group in 2019. He was named F45’s chief brand officer in 2023 and regularly appears in the company’s promotional materials.
Why Is David Beckham Suing F45?
Beckham, who entered into a five-year agreement with F45 in 2020, claimed in the lawsuit that he never received the $10 million he was offered while negotiating his contract. He argued that he upheld his end of the partnership, which “enhanced [F45’s] public profile and credibility and helped roll out new fitness offers for F45,” while the company failed to follow through on an agreement to compensate him with stocks.
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“As F45’s business began to falter in 2022 due to fiscal mismanagement and macroeconomic pressures, F45 withheld millions of dollars in contractually obligated consideration,” the filing reads.
According to the lawsuit, Beckham was promised “nearly 1 million shares of stock” from F45 within six months of the company going public. However, he claimed he received the shares eight months late after they had lost $9.3 million in value. Beckham’s legal team also alleged that additional shares worth $5 million were never delivered.
David Beckham Rich Storry/Getty Images
What Damages Is David Beckham Seeking?
Beckham is seeking $14.3 million in damages, not including interest.
What Was F45’s Response to the Lawsuit?
F45 filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit, but a judge denied the request in September 2023, Fox News reported. According to The New York Times, F45 filed a response denying multiple of Beckham’s allegations and claiming that Beckham did not fully complete his obligations.
The response accused Beckham of “attempting to benefit from his own wrongdoing” and said the athlete “has unclean hands.”
How Are David Beckham and Mark Wahlberg Connected?
Beckham said in a 2021 statement announcing his partnership with F45 that Wahlberg had introduced him to the company.
“I’ve been a fan of the F45 franchise and training model since being introduced by my friend, Mark Wahlberg,” the statement read. “This partnership is an exciting business venture for me also, and I’m looking forward to the journey with F45 as the business continues to expand globally.”
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The twosome became acquainted after David and his wife, Victoria Beckham, purchased a home in Beverly Hills in 2007. Although they later became friends, Wahlberg took issue with the extra attention the Beckhams brought to his neighborhood during a 2009 interview with the Daily Mail.
“Man, the Beckhams. It used to be so quiet on my road,” the actor said at the time. “Then David moves in with his family. Suddenly we’ve got paparazzi hanging out day and night.”
Wahlberg added that he wasn’t “sure why [David] came to America in the first place” and joked, “We don’t want your soccer.” He later clarified to The Sun that he had no personal beef with David.
“I 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.
Mark Wahlberg Matt Winkelmeyer/WireImage/Getty Images
Is There Bad Blood Between David Beckham and Mark Wahlberg?
Although David is suing F45 and not Wahlberg directly, legal expert and attorney Neama Rahmani, who is not involved with the case, exclusively told Us Weekly in April 2024 that the lawsuit still suggests bad blood between the twosome.
“Mark’s a more than 30 percent owner, [so] going after the company is essentially going after Mark,” Rahmani said, adding that a legal victory for Beckham would “really hurt” Wahlberg’s “pocketbook.”
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Rahmani added that celebrities “hate being dragged into litigation,” so it’s “surprising” that the dispute has gone this far.
“The fact that it reached this point leads me to believe that negotiations failed and things got nasty between these former friends,” he said.
What Have Mark Wahlberg and David Beckham Said About the Lawsuit?
Neither Wahlberg nor Beckham has publicly addressed the lawsuit. Us reached out to their legal teams for comment.
Is David Beckham’s Lawsuit Against F45 Going to Trial?
A court date has been set, and the lawsuit is set to go to trial on January 25, 2025. Rahmani told Us that he thinks the case will be settled before it goes to trial.
“I can’t imagine Beckham versus Wahlberg in a court of law. Obviously stranger things have happened, but in my experience when we’re just talking about money and this type of business dispute, at some point the parties will get into some sort of mediation,” he said. “I expect Wahlberg to make some sort of payment to Beckham to make this go away.”
