Clapping back! Kelly Clarkson’s estranged husband, Brandon Blackstock, returned fire after she claimed in October 2020 that he and his father Narvel Blackstock’s management company defrauded her out of millions of dollars.
The talent agent, 44, filed legal documents with the California Labor Commission in November 2020, in response to Clarkson’s filing a month prior. According to the documents obtained by Us Weekly on Tuesday, January 26, Brandon denied all of his estranged wife’s claims of defrauding her by charging her outlandish fees during their contract.
The father of four claimed that the “Miss Independent” singer, 38, is not entitled to any money that he, his father or their management company earned while working with her over the past 13 years.
Brandon’s attorney argued that the two Blackstock men and their Starstruck Entertainment company are not subject to the Talent Agencies Act because they did not perform their duties in California.
Clarkson’s October petition claimed that she entered into an oral agreement with Brandon, Narvel, 64, and Starstruck Entertainment in 2007. The documents argued that the agreement was a “fraudulent and subterfuge device” that allowed her managers to perform “illegal services” as agents in the state of California where they did not have a license to do so.
As a result, the American Idol alum’s attorney, Edwin McPherson, said Clarkson should be entitled to get back all of her money earned and other “things of value” that Brandon received while acting as her agent.
Brandon’s attorneys, Bryan J. Freedman and Jesse A. Kaplan, responded in November by saying that there is a one-year statute of limitations in the Talent Agencies Act. Therefore, if Clarkson were able to prove the claims of illegal agent services, Brandon’s attorneys could argue that she can only claim commissions that were paid within the year prior to her October 2020 filing.
In Brandon’s response, he asked for Clarkson’s petition to be dismissed and that she pay his attorney fees.
Us previously reported that The Voice coach was countersuing the management company, claiming it had violated the California Labor Code. The October filing alleged that Starstruck violated the Talent Agencies Act numerous times and therefore all agreements between the parties should be “declared void and unenforceable” including their verbal agreement that requires 15 percent commission of her gross earnings.
The Kelly Clarkson Show host’s countersuit came after Narvel filed a lawsuit against her in September, claiming she owed the firm $1.4 million in unpaid commissions. His filing claimed that Clarkson had yet to pay the total commission for her work on her talk show and The Voice for 2020, which would be at least $5.4 million.
The legal battle between Clarkson and the Blackstock family and their company started three months after the “Because of You” singer filed for divorce from Brandon.
Us confirmed in June 2020 that the Trolls: World Tour actress was separating from her husband of seven years. Clarkson was awarded primary physical custody of their children, River, 6, and Remington, 4, in November 2020. The estranged couple will share joint physical and legal custody of the children.
Brandon is also father of daughter Savannah, 18, and son Seth, 13, from his previous marriage to Melissa Ashworth.
With reporting by Marjorie Hernandez
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