French Montana has reached a legal agreement in a lawsuit over a luxury watch, bringing the case to an end before trial. All sides agreed to resolve the dispute without court action, according to court records filed Monday. The filing did not disclose the terms of the agreement. It also said that the settlement was not an admission of fault or wrongdoing by anyone involved.
French Montana avoided trial after reaching a deal in a watch theft lawsuit
Swiss businessmen Justo Obiang and Samir Gato filed the lawsuit against Montana, whose real name is Karim Kharbouch, in October 2025. According to the complaint, they claimed they lent him their Richard Mille RM-59-01 watch, now valued at more than $1 million, and never got it back. The three men became friends after Montana performed in Geneva in 2015, the complaint said.
Their friendship became part of the legal dispute in 2024 when they filmed a promotional video together in Egypt. Obiang and Gato claimed Montana repeatedly asked to trade his Richard Mille watch for the one they owned together, but they rejected every offer.
The complaint also mentions that he then requested to borrow their watch for Paris Fashion Week in January 2025, which he promised to return in 30 days. They also asserted that Montana had left as collateral his own diamond-encrusted Richard Mille, and they accepted since they trusted his reputation as a public figure.
Montana failed to return the watch after the 30-day period ended, the complaint alleged. Obiang later texted him, “Are you trying to keep my [watch]?” and Montana allegedly replied, “never my bro,” while promising to travel to Paris, recover the watch, and send it back.
The lawsuit claimed Montana never made the trip. It also alleged that the Richard Mille watch he left as collateral was counterfeit, as AllHipHop reported. Monday’s court filing said both sides settled the dispute without admitting any fault or confirming whether the original watch was returned.
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