Kelly Clarkson's former manager - who also happens to be her ex-husband - has been ordered by the California Labor Commissioner to return $2.6 million in commissions he was previously paid. We know this because the manager and the management company he works for are appealing that order in the Los Angeles County Superior Court.
The professional dispute between Clarkson and Brandon Blackstock of Starstruck Entertainment began in 2020, the same year the musician began divorce proceedings. She filed a petition with the California Division Of Labor Standards Enforcement, while Blackstock and Starstruck filed a lawsuit.
Clarkson’s petition focused on whether or not Blackstock had violated California's Talent Agencies Act by acting as an agent as well as a manager when negotiating TV and brand deals for the musician. In California agents need to be licensed. Therefore, any deal-making in relation to Clarkson's TV and brand projects should have been handled by her agents at CAA, not Blackstock and Starstruck.
According to Law360, although not entirely siding with Clarkson, a special hearing officer at Labor Standards Enforcement nevertheless concluded that Blackstock violated the Talent Agencies Act by acting as an agent without licence on a number of occasions. That includes in relation to Clarkson’s deals with 'The Voice' and the 'Billboard Music Awards', and some brand partnership deals.
Therefore, according to the ruling of the Division Of Labor Standards Enforcement, Blackstock is not legally due the commissions he earned on those deals. And it's that ruling that Starstruck is now appealing.