Divorces are never pretty. Unfortunately for Kelly Clarkson, it just got a whole lot messier. Kelly Clarkson and Brandon Blackstock decided to end their marriage in June of this year. The two share both of their kids, Remy and River Rose. After being sued by her father-in-law’s management company, the singer is now demanding that the money made off of her is returned. Yikes. When people said not to mix business and family, we’re sure this is what they had in mind.
Just a few short months after Clarkson filed for divorce from Blackstock, her husband of seven years, Blackstock’s father Narvel filed a lawsuit against the singer for $1.4 million allegedly owed to his company Starstruck Management Group. As reported by Variety, the complaint claims that Clarkson has yet to pay her full commission fee of 15 percent to Starstruck for her work this year on The Kelly Clarkson Show and The Voice. The catch is that the commission rate was set via phone call 13 years ago and doesn’t exist in writing.
Well, Clarkson is now fighting back against her management company. According to People, The Voice star has filed a labor petition against her management group. Citing that they violated the California Labor Code for “procuring, offering, promising or attempting to procure employment or engagements” for her without having first obtained a proper talent agency license. Clarkson’s argument is now that because of this, any and all agreements — including that call — must be “declared void and unenforceable.”
Starstruck’s attorney Bryan Freedman told the publication that the petition “conveniently ignores the fact that Kelly had her own licensed talent agency [Creative Artists Agency] at all times.”
The statement continued: “While Starstruck Management Group provided talent management services on her behalf, it did so at all times that CAA was her agency of record. It is unfortunate that Kelly is again attempting to avoid paying commissions that are due and owing to Starstruck to try and achieve some perceived advantage in her ongoing custody and divorce proceedings.”
Clarkson’s petition further stated that Starstruck evaded “the licensing requirements” set forth by the Talent Agencies Act and listed her alleged violations. Some of which included failure to submit a written application for a license and having demanded “unconscionable fees and compensation” from her for “illegal services.” In her claims, she has contended that both Brandon and Narvel acted as unlicensed talent agents.
Based on this, Clarkson is arguing that she doesn’t have to pay her old management team the commission they are seeking, and in fact, any money she previously paid should be returned to her.
Before you go, click here to see all the celebrity breakups in 2020.
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