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Kelly Clarkson has won another legal battle as part of her divorce from ex-husband Brandon Blackstock.
According to reports in People Magazine and Billboard, Blackstock was ordered last week by a California labor commissioner to pay the pop singer back over $2.6 million in commissions on previous business deals he brokered for Clarkson as her manager.
The contracts Blackstock received reportedly include $1.98 million to secure Clarkson’s coaching role on NBC’s reality singing competition “The Voice”; $208,125 for a promotional offer with Norweigan Cruise Lines; $450,000 for a collaboration with home furnishings brand Wayfair; and $93.30 for a multi-year deal to host the Billboard Music Awards.
According to California’s Talent Agencies Act (TAA), a manager cannot obtain or attempt to obtain employment for artists without a talent agency license, media sources said. According to TAA, Clarkson’s dealings should have been handled by the singer’s agents at Creative Artists Agency.
USA TODAY has reached out to representatives for Clarkson and Blackstock for comment.
According to People and Billboard, Blackstock was found not to have violated the TAA because of his work on a contract for “The Kelly Clarkson Show,” so he won’t have to pay back Clarkson any commissions on the deal.
Clarkson and Blackstock’s divorce was marked by legal disputes, including a dispute over ownership of their ranch in Montana and a custody battle over their two children, daughter River Rose, 9, and son Remington, 7. Clarkson was awarded primary custody of the children in November 2020.
Clarkson and Blackstock reached a settlement in the Montana ranch case in January 2022 when a judge ruled in favor of the ownership agreement between Clarkson and Blackstock, which gives Blackstock a 5% interest in their Warren Peak Ranch property. It was previously decided that Clarkson would be allowed to retain ownership of the ranch, which is valued at approximately $17.8 million.
The court cited the couple’s prenuptial agreement and rejected Blackstock’s earlier request that the ranch, along with two other properties owned by Clarkson in the state, be marital property.
Clarkson filed for divorce with Blackstock in June 2020 after nearly seven years of marriage, citing irreconcilable differences as the reason for the separation. The “Chemistry” singer told USA TODAY about how the couple’s divorce, which was finalized last year, partially inspired their recent move to New York City.
“I’ll be honest: I thought I was making a terrible decision,” the “Kelly Clarkson Show” host said in October. “I knew I needed a fresh start and couldn’t be in LA. I really wanted to be in Montana, but you can’t really do a show from there yet. So I thought, ‘The only other option would probably be.’ be New York.’”
But after just a few weeks she was won over by the city: “I really love it and I love that my kids love it.”
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Contributor: Patrick Ryan, USA TODAY