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California’s Labor Commissioner ordered Kelly Clarkson’s former management company and related respondents to disgorge $2,641,374 in commissions in November 2023. The order was an administrative determination—not a final court judgment affirming the award. Later reporting says the parties settled their lawsuits, but the settlement terms and the precise disposition of the award-related court claim have not been disclosed.
Why did Kelly Clarkson challenge her ex-husband’s management company?
Clarkson and related companies filed a petition with California’s Labor Commissioner on October 20, 2020, asking the agency to determine a controversy over commissions. The dispute concerned whether Starstruck and related respondents had procured work for Clarkson without the talent-agency license generally required under California law. The Labor Commissioner held a hearing from March 20–24, 2023, and issued its determination on November 21, 2023. The official Determination of Controversy, TAC-52781 ordered respondents to return specified commissions.
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That administrative case is distinct from a later court filing. In March 2024, Clarkson and associated companies filed a cross-complaint in Los Angeles Superior Court alleging that Starstruck and the Blackstocks had engaged in unlicensed talent-agency activity dating back to about 2007. Those claims are allegations in a pleading; they are not findings made in the 2023 determination.
How much did the Labor Commissioner order returned?
The exact total ordered was $2,641,374, rounded in headlines to $2.6 million. The order covered commissions paid on or after October 20, 2019, and allocated the amount among four sources of work:
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| Work or engagement | Commission amount in the 2023 order |
|---|---|
| The Voice | $1,983,155.70 |
| Norwegian Cruise Line | $208,125 |
| Wayfair | $450,000 |
| Billboard Music Awards | $93.30 |
| Total | $2,641,374 |
The figures come from the California Labor Commissioner’s November 21, 2023 determination. Its operative order stated that respondents “must disgorge to Petitioners $2,641,374 previously paid in commissions on or after October 20, 2019.” The amount is specific to the commissions and procurements addressed in that proceeding; it should not be read as a general measure of entertainment-management commissions.
What does California’s Talent Agencies Act require?
California’s Talent Agencies Act generally requires a license to procure, or attempt to procure, employment for an artist. The Labor Commissioner’s determination also describes a limited safe harbor: a manager may negotiate contracts in conjunction with, and at the request of, a licensed talent agent. The exception is limited to that kind of negotiation; the case does not establish that every manager’s involvement in arranging a booking violates the law.
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The commissioner applied the Act to the record in Clarkson’s proceeding and ordered disgorgement tied to specified procurements. The agency’s analysis and order are in the official determination’s legal discussion.
Did the later lawsuit expand the award?
The March 2024 cross-complaint alleged a broader course of unlicensed activity beginning around 2007 and sought relief under California Labor Code section 1700 et seq. That is a different timeframe and a different procedural record from the commissions covered by the 2023 administrative order, which applied to payments made on or after October 20, 2019. The cross-complaint’s allegations do not, by themselves, change the commissioner’s award.
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Was the dispute settled, and was the award affirmed?
Later reporting by The Daily Beast says the parties settled their lawsuits, but does not disclose the terms. The available reporting also does not establish whether the court affirmed, modified, or otherwise resolved the particular claim seeking to affirm or expand the administrative award. It therefore does not support saying that Clarkson collected the ordered amount, that a court affirmed it, or that the award increased.
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