Daniel Sturridge has spoken out after he failed to appear in a Los Angeles court over money he allegedly owes to a man who found his dog.
On Thursday, an arrest warrant was issued for the former Liverpool and England striker over his missed court session.
The 34-year-old had publicly offered a reward for the safe return of his pet Pomeranian - named Lucci - in July 2019 after revealing it had been stolen from his west coast house. Foster Washington, known as rapper Killa Fame, took credit for reuniting Sturridge with his furry friend but declared he did not receive the promised payment.
As a result, he launched a civil lawsuit. Sturridge has now released a statement explaining his side of events, which read: “The news yesterday was the first time my family and I heard that someone is continuing to try to get money from me, following the theft of my family's dog, Lucci, which happened 4 years ago.
“The truth is, I personally paid a reward to the young boy who found him. He was delighted with the reward, as were my family and I to get Lucci home. The person seeking payment is not due any money, I already paid the young boy who found Lucci.
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“I was unaware of the court hearing even taking place. The legal paperwork was sent to the Air Bnb property which we had left within 24 hours of the burglary. Therefore, I have not had the opportunity to properly represent myself in relation to these false claims.
“With that being said, I have now instructed California lawyers to deal with matters on my behalf. I am confident that this will be resolved in my favour quickly and put an end to the speculative claim for good.”
Daniel Sturridge offered a reward after his pet Pomeranian went missing in 2019 (Joe Maher/Getty Images for Sky Sports)Back in December 2021, a court in Los Angeles ordered Sturridge to pay Washington $30,000 (£24,400) following a default judgment, which came after the forward - who scored eight goals in 26 appearances for England - did not respond to the complaint. The 34-year-old was called back to court last month for a ‘debtor's exam’, where he was expected to answer questions regarding his finances.
However, Sturridge did not attend. He has now been served a bench warrant – a summons issued by a judge to arrest a defendant and bring them before court - while a new hearing has been set for November 30.
Surprisingly, Sturridge has never officially retired despite last competing in a professional game back in April 2022 with Perth Glory in Australia's A-League. Sky Sports announced him as a new pundit at the start of the 2023/24 season and he made an instant impression on his debut, but has not been seen since the opening weekend in August.
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