Kelly Clarkson is done with her marriage to Brandon Blackstock, but she still has a few legal issues to work out with him. The 41-year-old talk show host filed a cross-complaint against her ex this week that is tied to the California Labor Commission’s November ruling. Blackstock wasn’t licensed to find her jobs as a manager at Starstruck Entertainment — and he owes her $2.6 million in back commissions.
Blackstock didn’t love that ruling, so he appealed the decision and believes he’s entitled to a trial in the Los Angeles County Superior Court, according to Rolling Stone. Clarkson’s cross-complaint asks for a “complete accounting” at Starstruck in search of the possibility that she’s owed more than the $2.6 million judgment from the California Labor Commission. Her legal team thinks that the company and her ex-husband possibly violated the Talent Agencies Act in California going back to 2007. It could be an expensive prospect for Blackstock and his father, Narvel Blackstock, who owns the business, if this case moves forward.
It doesn’t sound like Blackstock’s team is very happy about the new filing either. “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,” Blackstock’s lawyer, Bryan Freedman explained to the media outlet.
The entire mess began in 2020 after the couple had announced their plans to divorce. Starstruck filed a lawsuit that Clarkson breached their “oral” contract and owed them $1.4 million in commissions. They took credit for developing her into “a mega superstar” and confidently claimed that the judgment would be in their favor for $5.4 million by the end of 2020. (That has not happened.)
Well, nothing has worked in Blackstock’s favor after his last client, Blake Shelton, sided with Clarkson in the divorce and the legal system found he was in violation for negotiating contracts for Clarkson’s jobs with The Voice, Wayfair, Norwegian Cruise Lines (NCL), and the Billboard Music Awards without accreditation. A simple talent agent business license would have prevented them from losing this case as Clarkson marches forward with the law on her side.
Before you go, click here to see the most important celebrity lawsuits over the past 15 years.
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