The company behind Drake’s high-end champagne claims a business partner tried to ruin the luxury brand.
TMZ.com obtained a copy of a lawsuit filed by Mod Selection, claiming a retail store and a liquor distributor attempted to market the brand as a “black” or as a “rapper’s” champagne.
Mod Selection claims the distributor, named Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits, subjected the rapper to “browbeating and dismissive treatment” after he agreed to lend his name, likeness, and image to market the champagne.
Mod’s lawsuit says Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits insulted Drake by subjecting him to “browbeating and dismissive treatment” during the contract, and behavior the champagne maker claims say was motivated by racism.
After the deal fell apart in 2019, Mod says Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirit teamed up to hawk bottles of Mod as cheap h####.
The bottles were going for as low as $49, when they should have been priced at no less than $300.
Drake, who is not involved with the lawsuit, is an investor in Mod Selection which Drake’s Virginia Black Whiskey and Mod Sélection champagne.was launched in 2019 by Brent Hocking. Since then, the brand has grown worldwide.
Last week Mod Sélection and Drake’s other liquor brand with Hocking Virginia Black, announced a distribution deal with Elegance Brands Inc. Elegance has the exclusive rights to distribute both brands in Australia.
