Daniel Sturridge Ordered to Pay $30,000 to Man Who Returned His Dog

Daniel Sturridge, an English shot star, has been ordered to wage $30,000 to a Los Angeles antheral who recovered the player’s missing canine successful 2019 and who went to tribunal to recoup a reward helium said helium had been denied for the Pomeranian’s return.

After announcing that his Los Angeles location had been breached into, Mr. Sturridge said successful a video astatine the clip that helium would “pay whatever” to get his missing canine back, offering “20 Gs, 30 Gs, whatever” arsenic a reward without specifying the currency.

Shortly aft that video was posted, Foster Washington of Los Angeles recovered the dog, Lucci, and returned him to Mr. Sturridge, according to tribunal records. But Mr. Washington, 30, said helium had ne'er been paid, and successful March, helium filed a suit for breach of contract.

On Tuesday, Judge Curtis A. Kin of the Los Angeles County Superior Court issued a default judgment, awarding $30,000 successful damages to Mr. Washington.

Mr. Sturridge, a erstwhile England planetary prima who played for Liverpool and Chelsea and is present a striker for the Australian squad Perth Glory, said connected Twitter connected Saturday that “other radical are trying to payment for their ain idiosyncratic gain” and related a communicative antithetic from Mr. Washington’s astir however the canine had been recovered.

“Just to fto you cognize the information connected xmas!” Mr. Sturridge said connected Twitter. “I met a young lad who recovered my canine and paid him a reward, which helium was delighted with arsenic was I to get my canine backmost due to the fact that helium was stolen.”

Mr. Sturridge and his representatives did not instantly respond to emails connected Saturday. Direct messages sent to an Instagram relationship for Lucci, which has much than 34,000 followers, were not returned.

It each started successful July 2019, aft Mr. Sturridge’s location was breached into and helium discovered that Lucci was missing.

Mr. Washington, who earns $14 an hr arsenic a information defender and has 3 children, said helium had been walking location erstwhile helium and his champion friend’s lad saw a canine adjacent 88th Street and South Central Avenue. The boy’s household could not spend to person a pet, truthful Mr. Washington said helium had decided to instrumentality the canine home.

A fewer hours later, a person told Mr. Washington that Mr. Sturridge was searching for a canine that looked akin to the 1 helium had taken in.

“He was like, ‘Hey, dude, that dog’s famous,’” Mr. Washington said connected Saturday. “And I’m like, ‘What?’” He said helium had nary thought who Mr. Sturridge was astatine the time.

That day, Mr. Washington posted a photograph of the canine connected Twitter and asked Mr. Sturridge if it was Lucci.

Mr. Washington past contacted Kimberly Cheng from the Los Angeles quality presumption KTLA. Mr. Washington said she had connected him with Mr. Sturridge’s representatives. Ms. Cheng did not respond to a petition seeking remark connected Saturday.

The canine had a tiny tattoo of numbers connected his stomach, Mr. Washington said. Mr. Sturridge asked Mr. Washington implicit the telephone to place the people to marque definite it was so Lucci, Mr. Washington said.

They agreed to meet, and erstwhile Mr. Sturridge retrieved the dog, helium thanked Mr. Washington.

“I’m like, ‘Hey, dude, what’s up with the reward?’” Mr. Washington said. “He said, ‘There is nary reward.’”

Mr. Washington tried to interaction Mr. Sturridge, who joined Liverpool successful 2013 connected a declaration reported to beryllium worthy astir 12 cardinal pounds (nearly $20 cardinal astatine the time), and his representatives galore times for weeks but to nary avail. Mr. Washington said his telephone fig and societal media accounts were being blocked.

It was not instantly wide whether anyone was arrested successful transportation with the break-in oregon the theft of Lucci, who was described successful tribunal papers arsenic a uncommon Pomeranian worthy an estimated £4,000, oregon astir $5,300. The Los Angeles constabulary did not respond to messages connected Saturday.

Mr. Washington went to the police, who “concluded that helium was not 1 of the thieves, oregon related to the burglary transgression successful immoderate way,” the suit said. “Mr. Washington has ne'er been implicated successful immoderate wrongdoing.”

The suit added that Mr. Washington “did not person the payment of his bargain for supplying the canine safely and successful bully health.”

Mr. Washington said helium had received nonstop messages online from radical calling him selfish for wanting to get paid, but during the pandemic, arsenic helium struggled financially, helium decided to record the lawsuit.