Kelly Clarkson can finally breathe a sigh of relief because it looks like her drawn-out legal battle with ex-husband Brandon Blackstock is finally over. The 42-year-old pop star had been fighting with her former spouse and manager over commissions he erroneously took from her, breaking California labor laws.
On Tuesday, May 21, Clarkson’s legal team asked for a dismissal of the contentious case with Starstruck Management Group asking for a similar dismissal on May 22, per Rolling Stone. “Everything has settled,” an insider told the media outlet. That’s good news for Blackstock, who was already on the wrong side of the law when it came to procuring jobs for the daytime talk show host. He was a manager who was acting like an unlicensed talent agent — these are two very distinct jobs in Hollywood, and agents are heavily regulated by the California Talent Agencies Act for a reason.
Blackstock appealed the November ruling of a California Labor Commissioner, who awarded Clarkson $2.6 million in commissions. The “de novo” trial, which would have started the proceedings from the beginnin, could have been a “potentially bruising trial” for Blackstock because it might have unearthed more of his possibly shady dealings from his ex-wife’s successful career. The $700,000 in commission from The Kelly Clarkson Show that he was allowed to keep in the first ruling was up for grabs again.
The legal team for Blackstock had been standing firm on the case, telling Rolling Stone earlier in the year, “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 used those earnings on their children and Kelly and Brandon’s lifestyle during the marriage.” However, the court continually sided with Clarkson in this matter due to the clear lines drawn over the job descriptions of a talent agent and a manager in the state of California.
The end of the legal battle also allows Clarkson to move forward in her next chapter. She’s gushed about her “fresh start” and move to New York City, telling USA Today, “I feel like a weight has lifted. That move was very needed. I think the thing I’m most excited about with Season 5, on a selfish level, is just showing up to work smiling and actually meaning it. That’s a beautiful gift that you don’t realize until you’re out of it.”
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