Kelly Clarkson Files New Lawsuit In Legal War With Ex-Husband
Kelly Clarkson’s ongoing legal battle with ex-husband Brandon Blackstock has taken a new turn. Per Billboard, the talk show host and singer filed a new case Monday (March 18), just four months after Blackstock appealed a November decision in their case.
As we reported at the time, a California Labor Commissioner agreed that Blackstock procured a number of deals for Clarkson, including her lucrative role as a judge on The Voice, that should have been handled by her talent agents at Creative Artists Agency (CAA). The decision ordered Blackstock to repay Clarkson more than $2.6 million in commissions she paid to him for handling those deals.
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With the new lawsuit, Clarkson, 41, is seeking a ruling that he and his father’s management firm, Starstruck Entertainment, had been violating state labor rules all the way back to the very start of their relationship. She is seeking an order that would require the return of “any and all commissions, fees, profits, advances, producing fees or other monies” she paid to Starstruck, dating back to 2007. The earlier judgment only went as far back as 2017.
In December, Blackstock and Starstruck challenged the November ruling in court, demanding that the same questions be re-decided by a Los Angeles judge rather than by the Labor Commissioner. The case is set for a hearing in August. Meanwhile, with Kelly’s new lawsuit, she could win a ruling that would effectively confirm the findings of the Labor Commissioner.
It could also be used against her, though, as the commissioner rejected Clarkson’s claim that Blackstock was also required to pay back commissions he earned from helping to secure The Kelly Clarkson Show. His involvement in that deal, including “strategizing” with her agents, was “at the request of CAA” and thus not a violation of the law, the commissioner ruled.
After seven years of marriage, Clarkson filed for divorce from Blackstock in June 2020. The divorce was finalized two years later, and she got the hotly-contested Montana ranch in the settlement. She also got the family pets and multiple cars like the Ford Bronco, Ford F-250, and Porsche Cayenne, as well as a flight simulator. Kelly had to pay Brandon $1.3 million and an additional $45,000 a month in child support for their two kids, River Rose and Remington Alexander. She was paying Brandon $115,000 a month in spousal support up until January 2024.