A former England international soccer star has been directed by a California judge to compensate a man with over $30,000 for rescuing his stolen dog.
Daniel Sturridge, a 32-year-old soccer player who has previously played for Liverpool and Chelsea, had his Pomeranian dog, named Lucci, taken from him in July 2019 while he was residing in Los Angeles.
Following Lucci’s disappearance, Sturridge took to social media multiple times to appeal for the safe return of his dog while offering a significant cash reward.
“We will pay anything for the dog,” he mentioned in a post. “Whoever brings my dog back, 20 grand, 30 grand, whatever,” he continued, without specifying the currency.
Soon after Sturridge’s plea to find Lucci, a man from Los Angeles named Foster Washington, who also goes by the rap alias Killa Fame, claimed to have found the dog.
Sturridge was eventually reunited with his dog.
Following that, Washington alleged that Sturridge never compensated him financially for finding Lucci and eventually took legal action against the footballer demanding payment.
On Christmas Eve, Washington went on Twitter and posted a picture of a court ruling in his favor, revealing that Los Angeles County judge Curtis A. Kin had instructed Sturridge to pay Washington $30,000 in damages along with an additional $85 for legal costs.
“Hopefully he settles it and doesn’t opt for an appeal,” he informed the Press Association.
“I’m thrilled about this, I’ve been fighting this battle for over a year, I can’t believe it’s finally resolved. When we located the dog, I thought things would get better.”
