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The US rapper Flo Rida has won more than $80m in compensation after he sued an energy drinks company that tried to hide money from him.

Celsius Holdings, in which the rapper, 43, still owns stock, was found to have breached its contract by a court in Florida.

Flo Rida, whose real name is Tramar Dillard, and his production company, Strong Arm Productions, sued Celsius in May 2021, claiming it had violated the conditions of an endorsement deal as he was not given stock options and other bonuses he was promised.

According to the civil complaint, Flo Rida, who was a brand ambassador for Celsius from 2014 until 2018, played an instrumental role in launching a new era for the company’s brand development, growth and expansion.

The rapper and his lawyers argued that the partnership paved the way for Celsius to grow, but that his contract was vague, which prevented him from benefiting financially.

Flo Rida said: “Basically, I helped birth this company, and all we was looking for was some trustworthy people who acted as if they were family … then when it comes down to the success of today, they just forgot about me.”

John Uustal, a lawyer for Flo Rida, said the rapper wanted the 1% ownership he was promised and would still be willing to accept this instead of the $82.6m (£67m) awarded to him by Broward county court.

Mr Uustal said: “He [Flo Rida] loved the product, and it’s been a very successful four-year relationship.

“There were some benchmarks. He was supposed to get stock when certain things happened. And there became a dispute about whether those benchmarks had been reached. So that’s what this was about.”

Lawyers for Celsius argued that the company was at its most successful after the endorsement deal with Flo Rida ended – and that other business decisions led to increased sales and stock value.

Rapper Tramar Dillard, known as Flo Rida, appears in a Broward County courtroom Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023,  in Fort Lauderdale, F.a. The rapper is suing energy drink maker Celsius for breach of contract in an endorsement deal. (Joe Cavaretta/South Florida Sun-Sentinel via AP, Pool)
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Flo Rida appears in court

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Flo Rida, who said he continues to drink Celsius products, said he would like to partner with the company again in the future.

“I’m still an owner in the company and when you basically planted the seed for something that is successful, you can’t help but have unconditional love,” he said.

Lawyers for Celsius did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

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US election: Who will win the battleground states? Play our game and decide the new president

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US election: Who will win the battleground states? Play our game and decide the new president

Americans are choosing their new president today.

Either Kamala Harris or Donald Trump will be the new occupant of the White House in January.

For many people, their vote will make little difference.

The main crunch points are in seven states and one inner state district.

In the following game, you can predict who will win in each swing state.

We will tell you at the end who the new president will be – if you have made correct predictions.

Good luck!

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Trump or Harris? Millions of Americans set to decide next president

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Trump or Harris? Millions of Americans set to decide next president

Voters across 50 states are preparing to cast their ballots after a bitterly contested US election campaign, which will see Donald Trump or Kamala Harris become president.

In the last few hours, both candidates have been giving their final pitches. “The momentum is on our side,” Ms Harris told a crowd in Philadelphia that chanted back, “We will win”.

“Tonight, then, we finish as we started: with optimism, with energy, with joy,” she said, while enjoying the support of celebrity endorsements on the day from Katy Perry, Lady Gaga and Jon Bon Jovi.

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In contrast, Mr Trump ended his campaign in Michigan, repeating key messages about the economy and immigration.

A handful of states will play a crucial role in determining the outcome of the election. Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin hold the keys to the White House.

To become president, the winning candidate needs 270 electoral votes or more, with each state carrying a different number of votes.

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But the focus has been on Pennsylvania which carries 19 electoral votes, the most of all the swing states.

It has been a remarkable journey for both candidates – with Mr Trump surviving two assassination attempts and Ms Harris not even originally in the running.

Katy Perry performs after an appearance by Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris at a campaign rally at the Carrie Blast Furnaces in Pittsburgh, Monday, Nov. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
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Katy Perry performed in Pittsburgh in support of Kamala Harris. Pic: AP

For more than a year, the 2024 presidential race seemed destined for a rematch between Joe Biden and Mr Trump – but a disastrous TV debate by Mr Biden eventually forced him to withdraw from the ticket.

The Democratic party’s decision to replace Mr Biden with his vice president transformed the race and shifted polls in Ms Harris’s favour. But only just.

Many polls are too tight to call and, with a large margin of error, most experts are refusing to predict the outcome.

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Later, attention will turn to those battleground states including Georgia, which is among the first polls to close at 7pm local time (midnight UK time).

State election officials told Sky News they could have a result as early as 10pm (3am UK time).

Even so, it could be several days before the US has a definitive result.

Voters are not just selecting a president. In addition, 10 states will hold abortion-related ballots, half of which would overturn existing restrictions.

Predict who you think will win in each swing state and we’ll tell you who the president will be if you’re right.

Tonight, Sky News will have access to the most comprehensive exit poll and vote-counting results from every state, county and demographic across America through its US-partner network NBC.

You can find out more about Sky News’ coverage here.

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Voter in UK ‘terrified’ by US election legal battle, as up to 4,000 ballots challenged in Pennsylvania

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Voter in UK 'terrified' by US election legal battle, as up to 4,000 ballots challenged in Pennsylvania

Up to 4,000 people voting overseas in the US election are having their ballots challenged in Pennsylvania, a key battleground state, according to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).

They include Selma Aldi, 47, from Camden in north London who received a letter on Sunday explaining that her ballot in the US presidential election is at risk of being rejected.

“It was a shock,” she said. “It was terrifying to be targeted, to potentially lose a right that I hold as very important. It’s even a feeling that someone is questioning my identity.”

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The trainee GP, who grew up in Hershey, Pennsylvania left America in 2000 but has voted via absentee ballot in every US presidential election since.

A letter from election officials in Dauphin County outlines the legal challenge. It reads: “The applicant is not registered to vote and therefore is not eligible to vote in Pennsylvania.

“Under Pennsylvania law, it is a felony to permit any person to vote who is not registered.”

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A hearing on the legal challenge is scheduled for Friday, in which Ms Aldi can respond.

Around 2.8 million US citizens living abroad are entitled to vote in the election, no matter where they are on polling day.

But each state has different procedures and rules on how election paperwork can be sent and received.

Selma Aldi on her graduation from the University of Pennsylvania seated next to a figure of Benjamin Franklin, one of the Founding Fathers of the US.   She has received a letter challenging her absentee voter ballot. Pic: handout
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Selma Aldi on her graduation from the University of Pennsylvania, seated next to a figure of Benjamin Franklin, one of the Founding Fathers of the US.

But Ari Savitzky, senior staff Attorney at the ACLU said “any attempt to challenge [voters] eligibility is a clear violation of their rights”.

He told Sky News: “Between 3,000 and 4,000 challenges have been filed in Pennsylvania to the absentee ballots of US citizens living abroad.

“For decades, federal law has guaranteed the right of US citizens living abroad to vote in federal elections at their last US residence.

“In addition to being legally baseless, these challenges are an abuse to voters and to election administrators.”

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Deborah Hinchey from another voting rights group, All Voting is Local, said: “Election deniers across Pennsylvania have submitted thousands of mass challenges to overseas voters.

“They want to block as many ballots as possible and silence our voices… but these baseless challenges have failed before and the proper checks and balances are in place to make sure they’ll fail again,” she added.

Tonight, Sky News will have access to the most comprehensive exit poll and vote-counting results from every state, county and demographic across America through its US-partner network NBC.

You can find out more about Sky News’ coverage here.

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