Brandon Blackstock was ordered to pay Kelly Clarkson millions in mismanagement fees
Singer and television host Kelly Clarkson has been involved in a highly publicized divorce from her ex-husband, Brandon Blackstock, since 2020. Although the divorce was finalized in 2022, the legal battles continue between the former couple.
In November 2023, a California Labor Commissioner determined that Blackstock significantly overcharged Clarkson for booking gigs while he managed her career. Specifically, legal documents obtained by TMZ revealed that the misappropriation occurred when negotiating Clarkson’s involvement with The Voice, Wayfair, Norwegian Cruise Line, and the Billboard Music Awards.
Legally, only agents, not managers, can secure these types of roles for the talent they represent. As a result, the commissioner determined that Blackstock overstepped as Clarkson’s manager and ordered that he return $2,641,374 to his former client and wife.
After the ruling, Kelly Clarkson filed an additional lawsuit against Brandon Blackstock
Four months after the ruling, Clarkson filed an additional lawsuit requesting more compensation from Blackstock’s talent management company, Starstruck Entertainment, by whom she was represented from 2007 until 2020. Starstruck Entertainment is owned by Brandon’s father, Narvel Blackstock, who is the ex-husband of Reba McEntire.
The complaint, filed in Los Angeles on March 11, alleges that Starstruck Entertainment violated California labor laws, particularly the “Talent Agencies Act,” and accuses Brandon Blackstock of acting as an unlicensed talent agent.
As reported by PageSix, the lawsuit demands that “all monies previously paid by cross-complainants to Starstruck should be disgorged from Starstruck, forthwith.” These payments include “commissions, fees, profits, advances, producing fees, or other monies.”
Brandon Blackstock responds to the lawsuit
According to new legal documents obtained by PEOPLE, Brandon Blackstock and Starstruck Entertainment deny “each and every allegation” made by Clarkson. Additionally, they are calling for the suit to be dismissed as Clarkson did not “file a notice of appeal within 10 days” of the initial ruling, and therefore, it is now “outside of the proper jurisdiction” to file a separate lawsuit.
The papers, which were filed Monday (April 15), assert that the popstar’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.”
When the lawsuit was initially filed, Brandon’s attorney, Bryan Freedman, told Rolling Stone:
“It is morally, ethically and legally wrong to attempt to get monies back from your ex-husband who not only helped her as her manager but who used those earnings on their children and Kelly and Brandon’s lifestyle during the marriage.”
It remains to be seen whether the lawsuit will be upheld or dismissed. Check back for updates.
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