Shortly after Kelly Clarkson filed for divorce from Brandon Blackstock in 2020, the American Idol OG was hit with a major lawsuit filed by Starstruck Management, which is owned by her ex-husband’s father, Narvel Blackstock. Nearly three years later, the marriage may be over, but the legal battle wages on. The end, however, may be in sight, as a time frame has been determined for the decision on whether or not Clarkson owes her ex-father-in-law over $5.4 million in unpaid commissions, or whether the agreements made over a decade ago will be declared “unenforceable.”
After the court case was pushed into its fourth calendar year since Starstruck Management Group’s initial filing in September 2020, the “hearing is still ongoing” between Kelly Clarkson and Narvel Blackstock’s company, according to the California Labor Commissioner’s Office (per US Weekly). However, there appears to be light at the end of this tunnel of litigation, with the office also saying:
Post-hearing briefs are due June 27 [and] a decision will be issued in the fall.
According to the trade, a post-hearing brief is both parties’ last chance to plead their case based on what came out during previous hearings. Assuming those were collected on time, Kelly Clarkson and the Blackstocks may finally be able to put this long battle behind them.
Starstruck’s lawsuit alleged that the former coach of The Voice owed millions of dollars in commissions for her work on the NBC singing competition, as well as The Kelly Clarkson Show. A couple of months after the September 2020 filing, Kelly Clarkson filed a countersuit that accused Narvel and Brandon Blackstock of acting as unlicensed talent agents on her behalf, making their verbal agreement for commissions “void and unenforceable.”
While Starstruck said the “Stronger” singer owed them at least $5.4 million at the end of 2020, Kelly Clarkson countered, saying the Blackstocks acted illegally as her agents, gave false information and charged her “unconscionable fees and compensation” for their allegedly illegal services. Therefore not only does she challenge the assertion that she owes them any money, but she is also asking to be repaid what they did earn by way of her employment.
Kelly Clarkson’s divorce battle with Brandon Blackstock was a contentious one, with fights over custody, spousal support, validity of their prenuptial agreement and ownership of their ranch in Montana. It took nearly two years to finalize the divorce, and even after the papers were signed and Blackstock was evicted from the home, he did not go quietly. And still, all of that drama has been settled a whole year sooner than the fight with the music management company.
The Emmy-winning daytime talk show host made her feelings about her ex-father-in-law clear when she adapted the lyrics to Gayle’s “abcdefu” on one of her Kellyoke segments, singing:
Forget you and your dad / and the fact that you got half / and my broken heart / turn that shit into art.
She has, in fact, turned that shit into art, with the release of her new album Chemistry. The artist’s 10th studio album features some of the music she wrote amidst her breakup with Brandon Blackstock and is available now. Give it a listen while we wait on more updates from the courtroom drama, and keep an eye on the 2023 TV schedule for the return of The Kelly Clarkson Show and all of the other upcoming premieres.
