The lawsuit between Mark Wahlberg’s F45 Training and David Beckham centered on an endorsement contract: Beckham’s management company, DB Ventures Limited, sued F45 in 2022, alleging the fitness franchise had failed to deliver millions of dollars in stock owed under a 2020 ambassadorship deal. The case settled in June 2024 on undisclosed terms, with both sides calling it a “mutual business decision” and DB Ventures saying it would remain an investor in the company.1Today. David Beckham F45 Lawsuit Mark Wahlberg
The Endorsement Deal Behind the Suit
In 2020, Beckham signed a five-year contract to serve as a global brand ambassador for F45, an Australian-founded chain built around 45-minute group workouts. The agreement paid $1.5 million per year in cash and layered equity on top: DB Ventures was to receive shares in F45, delivered in tranches at six months and twelve months after the company’s IPO. The contract said those shares would be “freely transferable” from the moment they were issued.2Fox Business. David Beckham’s Company Settles Lawsuit Against Mark Wahlberg’s F453Fortune. David Beckham Mark Wahlberg F45 Lawsuit Fitness
F45 went public in July 2021 at $16 per share, a roughly $1.4 billion valuation.4Athletech News. F45 Co-Founder Former CEO Adam Gilchrist Resigns From Company’s Board By roughly January 2022, the first tranche was due. According to DB Ventures, it did not arrive on time.
What Beckham’s Company Claimed F45 Owed
DB Ventures filed suit in October 2022, initially in the same action as golfer Greg Norman, who had a comparable arrangement with F45. A judge later separated the two cases; Norman’s dispute settled in January 2024 on terms F45 declined to disclose.5People. David Beckham Mark Wahlberg’s F45 Reach Agreement Dissolve Lawsuit6Sydney Morning Herald. Greg Norman Settles Legal Brawl With Mark Wahlberg-Backed F45 Beckham’s action moved to the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California in May 2023 as case number 2:23-cv-03460.7Law360. DB Ventures Limited v. F45 Training Holdings Inc.
The complaint identified two categories of harm. The first tranche of shares, DB Ventures said, was delivered roughly eight months late. F45’s stock price collapsed in the meantime, so the shares were worth about $9.3 million less than they would have been at the contractual deadline.8Forbes. David Beckham’s $14 Million Lawsuit Against Mark Wahlberg’s Company Explained The second tranche, due in July 2022, was allegedly never issued at all, a claimed loss of $5 million.3Fortune. David Beckham Mark Wahlberg F45 Lawsuit Fitness All told, People reported that DB Ventures sought $18.8 million: $14.3 million in damages plus $4.5 million in declaratory relief on the remainder of the contract.5People. David Beckham Mark Wahlberg’s F45 Reach Agreement Dissolve Lawsuit
F45’s Response and the Court’s Early Ruling
F45 denied the allegations, arguing it read the contract differently and had already provided the shares. Wahlberg’s legal team called the fraud allegations “baseless.”1Today. David Beckham F45 Lawsuit Mark Wahlberg The company filed a motion to dismiss.
In September 2023, a federal judge denied the motion, finding that the contract’s requirement that shares be “freely transferable” at the time of issuance supported Beckham’s reading.2Fox Business. David Beckham’s Company Settles Lawsuit Against Mark Wahlberg’s F45 The case was set for trial on January 25, 2025.5People. David Beckham Mark Wahlberg’s F45 Reach Agreement Dissolve Lawsuit
How the Case Ended
The trial never happened. On June 6, 2024, the parties announced a settlement. Both described it as a “mutual business decision,” and DB Ventures said it would continue as an investor in F45. Financial terms were not disclosed, and the case was dismissed.1Today. David Beckham F45 Lawsuit Mark Wahlberg2Fox Business. David Beckham’s Company Settles Lawsuit Against Mark Wahlberg’s F45 Because the terms are private, the public record does not show how much, if anything, changed hands or whether the disputed shares were ever fully delivered.
Wahlberg’s Role at F45
Wahlberg’s connection to F45 predated the dispute. His investment group, MWIG LLC, took a minority position in the company in March 2019 and held a 27% stake at the July 2021 IPO. He joined the board around the same time and was named Chief Brand Officer in March 2023, a position paid at one dollar per year.9Athletech News. F45 Launches Wahlberg Week10BusinessWire. F45 Names Tom Dowd as Chief Executive Officer and Mark Wahlberg as Chief Brand Officer Wahlberg reportedly introduced Beckham to F45 and helped broker the ambassadorship in the first place.1Today. David Beckham F45 Lawsuit Mark Wahlberg
The Separate Shareholder Case
The Beckham dispute is sometimes conflated with a different lawsuit involving F45 and Wahlberg, but the two are unrelated. In December 2022, shareholders filed a securities class action in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas, In re F45 Training Holdings, Inc. Securities Litigation, No. 1:22-cv-1291. The defendants are F45, former CEO Adam Gilchrist, and Wahlberg personally as a board member and officer. The complaint alleges that F45’s IPO registration statement and prospectus overstated growth by counting multi-unit franchise development agreements as “sales” whether or not studios opened, by offering undisclosed special financing to franchisees, and by defining “studio openings” broadly.11ClassAction.org. Securities Class Action Alleges F45 Training Holdings Misled Investors on Unsustainable Growth Strategy12Strategic Claims Services. F45 Final Notice and Claims
The parties reached a proposed $10.5 million settlement, which received preliminary approval on April 16, 2026. The settlement class covers anyone who purchased or acquired F45 common stock between July 15, 2021, and August 14, 2023. It resolves the claims without any admission of wrongdoing. The claim-filing deadline is August 1, 2026, and the final approval hearing is scheduled for August 27, 2026, at 1:30 p.m. in Austin.13Strategic Claims Services. F45 Final Postcard Notice14Austin American-Statesman. F45 Mark Wahlberg $11M Settlement Lawsuit Austin That case is a separate proceeding brought by public shareholders, not by Beckham or DB Ventures.