Kelly Clarkson and ex-husband Brandon Blackstock settle multi-million dollar commission lawsuits

The settlement brings an end to their court battles, including Clarkson's claims of overstepped managerial boundaries.


Pop Culture & Art May 24, 2024
Photo: Reuters

Kelly Clarkson and her ex-husband and former manager, Brandon Blackstock, have settled their lawsuits involving millions in commissions, PEOPLE confirms.

"Everything is settled," a source tells PEOPLE. The details of the settlement are confidential and were not disclosed. As a result, a bench trial scheduled for August 27 will no longer proceed.

Rolling Stone was the first to report the news.

Court documents obtained by PEOPLE reveal that Clarkson requested a dismissal on Tuesday, May 21, while Blackstock's management firm, Starstruck Entertainment, filed its own request to dismiss all of the pop star's claims against him on Wednesday, May 22, with the Superior Court of Los Angeles.

Last month, Blackstock, 47, responded to Clarkson's lawsuit, which she filed in March. The complaint argued that Clarkson, 42, should be awarded more than the $2.6 million a California labour commissioner ruled her ex owed her for allegedly overstepping his legal limits as her manager. Blackstock requested the lawsuit be dismissed in an April 15 filing.

Blackstock and his management firm denied "each and every allegation" raised by Clarkson, who accused them of violating state labour laws since 2007, when she entered into an oral agreement with the company. Blackstock's suit argued that the talk show host's case should be dismissed because the labour commissioner's ruling in November 2023 "is binding on Clarkson."

According to the documents, Clarkson did not "file a notice of appeal within 10 days" from the decision, thus making it outside the proper jurisdiction to file a separate lawsuit. Blackstock also claimed that any alleged illegal earnings had already been paid into their community estate, and any additional damages awarded should be reduced accordingly.

The papers stated that "[Clarkson's] Complaint fails to state facts sufficient to constitute a cause of action against Starstruck and is, therefore, barred for failure to state a claim upon which relief can be granted."

The labour commissioner had ruled that Blackstock and Starstruck Management violated California's Talent Agencies Act, which prohibits managers from procuring employment for artists unless working with a licensed agent. Blackstock and his legal team filed an appeal in December 2023.

In mid-March, Clarkson filed her lawsuit, obtained by PEOPLE, claiming Blackstock took fees for securing contracts with entities like the Billboard Music Awards, The Kelly Clarkson Show, Norwegian Cruise Line, The Voice, and Wayfair. The "Since U Been Gone" singer sought a “full and complete accounting from Starstruck of all monies received,” including commissions, fees, profits, advances, and producing fees.

Clarkson and Blackstock married in October 2013, with Blackstock acting as her manager from 2017 to 2020. Clarkson filed for divorce in June 2020. The former couple and business partners share two children, daughter River, 9, and son Remy, 8.
 

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