Kelly Clarkson and Ex Brandon Blackstock Settle Major Legal Dispute

The two split after several years of marriage and have been in and out of court since.

By Brenda Alexander

Kelly Clarkson and her ex-husband/former manager, Brandon Blackstock, will avoid a jury trial in their legal battle over unpaid royalties. The American Idol winner sued Blackstock alleging that he might owe her more than the $2.6 million he was ordered to pay her for several business deals that were allegedly illegally procured on her behalf when he was representing her. The talk show host and the music executive have now reached a settlement and withdrawn their dueling lawsuits, according to PEOPLE.

Details of the settlement have not been revealed, but an insider claims: "Everything is settled." Their trial was slated to begin in August.

Regarding Clarkson's initial claims, court documents reveal that she claimed that Blackstock's management firm Starstruck "performed the functions, and acted in the capacity, of an unlicensed talent agency" when she first entered into an oral agreement with the company 17 years ago. She claims the agency acted "unlawfully procuring employment" for her without a license. As a result, she was seeking "full and complete accounting from Starstruck of all monies received by Starstruck, directly or indirectly, in connection with any and all contracts, employment, or engagements pertaining in any way to the personal services of [Clarkson]."

Blackstock countersued and claimed that he denied "each and every allegation" in a court filing requesting that her suit be thrown out.

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The two began dating in 2013 and married that same year. Blackstock served as her manager from 2017 until 2020 when she filed for divorce. Their split was finalized in 2022. The two share two minor children.

Their divorce has been contentious from the start. The major fight has been over financials, including property division and child custody and support. You can read more about their messy split in our archives.

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