Former England striker Daniel Sturridge has denied allegations of owing a $30,000 (£24,737) reward and has instructed lawyers to intervene in a dispute regarding his dog. Sturridge had offered the reward in 2019 after his Pomeranian named Lucci was stolen during a break-in at a house in Los Angeles. Fortunately, he was later reunited with his beloved pet.
According to a report by The Daily Mail, American rapper Foster Washington has filed a civil suit, claiming that Sturridge owes him the money. The report also mentioned that there is an active warrant for Sturridge’s arrest. In December 2021, Sturridge was ordered by the court to pay the reward money, along with an additional $85 in costs, to Washington. Court documents revealed that this judgement was given by default as Sturridge did not respond to the complaint.
The recent article in The Daily Mail states that Sturridge, now 34 years old, failed to appear in an LA court, resulting in the issuance of an arrest warrant. A new hearing has been scheduled for 30 November.
Responding to the article on social media, Sturridge expressed that this was the first time he and his family learned that someone was attempting to extort money from him. Sturridge clarified that he had personally paid a reward to the young boy who found Lucci, and both he and his family were thrilled to have their pet back. Sturridge firmly stated that the individual seeking payment was not entitled to any money since he had already rewarded the young boy.
Sturridge further expressed his unawareness of the court hearing taking place, attributing it to the legal paperwork being sent to an Airbnb property that they had vacated within 24 hours of the burglary. Consequently, Sturridge claimed that he had not been given an opportunity to properly defend himself against these false claims. To resolve the matter, he has now engaged the services of California lawyers to represent him and is confident that a swift resolution will be reached in his favor, subsequently putting an end to these baseless claims.
Although he has not officially retired from playing, Sturridge has been unaffiliated with any registered club since his departure from Perth Glory in the summer of 2022.