Rapper Flo Rida, whose real name is Tramar Dillard, was awarded $82.6 million by a south Florida jury on Wednesday after he won a lawsuit against a company he claims he helped build.

Best known for his hits like "Low" and "Right Round," Dillard and his production company, Strong Arm Productions, sued the makers of Celsius energy drinks in May 2021, claiming that the company had violated the conditions of an endorsement deal by trying to hide money from him. The deal had run from 2014 to 2018.

In a statement, Dillard thanked the jury, judge, and his attorneys, and said he gained a "new respect for the judicial system."

"This was a long journey, but we prevailed. From the start, I only wanted what I worked for, nothing more, nothing less," he said in the statement, adding that he was "instrumental in the Celsius that you know and love today."

Flo Rida, whose real name is Tramar Dillard, was awarded over $80 million by a Florida jury.

Dillard signed the endorsement deal with Celsius in 2014 and renewed it in 2016. In 2021, the rapper sued the brand, claiming he was not given stock options and other bonuses he was promised in his contract with them. These bonuses were promised if certain sales achievements were met, but Dillard's team argued the contract was vague, which prevented him from cashing in on them.

"He's entitled to 500,000 shares of stock via the contract, and entitled to 250,000 shares of stock if certain things happen—one of those yardsticks is that a certain number of units of products need to be sold, but unfortunately the contract doesn't specify which type of unit—is it a box, is it a drink? And there's no timeframe or deadline," the lawyer representing Dillard, John Uustal, told Insider.

CEO of Celsius Holdings John Fieldly testified on Friday that his company's growth was due to his team's work, not from Dillard's endorsement deal. But jurors determined on Wednesday that the company not only breached their agreements with Flo Rida but also fraudulently hid the company's achievements from him.

In their answer to the original complaint, Celsius maintained that the statute of limitations ran out, that they already paid Dillard "far in excess of what he is entitled to," and that he should have brought the claim sooner. They filed an unsuccessful countersuit, seeking money back.

Dillard said he still drinks Celsius products and continues to own some stock in the company. He said he'd like to move on from the legal battle and work with the company again in the future.

"I'm still a owner in the company," Dillard said. "And when you basically planted the seed for something that is successful, you can't help but have unconditional love."

Florida Lawsuit Settlement