California’s Labor Commissioner ordered Kelly Clarkson’s former management company and related respondents to disgorge exactly $2,641,374 in commissions paid on or after October 20, 2019. The November 21, 2023 determination was an administrative order—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 take the dispute to California’s Labor Commissioner?
On October 20, 2020, Clarkson and related companies filed a petition asking the Labor Commissioner to determine a controversy involving commissions paid to her former management company and related respondents. The central legal question was whether management activity crossed the line into procuring artist employment without the talent-agency license generally required under California law.
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The Labor Commissioner held a hearing from March 20 through March 24, 2023, and adopted a determination on November 21, 2023. That determination ordered disgorgement of commissions connected to specified procurements. It did not establish that every manager who participates in a booking violates the law; the decision addressed the facts and legal record in this particular dispute.
How much did the 2023 order require respondents to return?
The California Labor Commissioner’s November 21, 2023 order directed respondents to return $2,641,374 in commissions paid on or after October 20, 2019. The headline figure of $2.6 million is rounded; the official order gives the exact total and allocates it as follows.
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| Work or engagement | Commission in the order |
|---|---|
| The Voice | $1,983,155.70 |
| Norwegian Cruise Line | $208,125 |
| Wayfair | $450,000 |
| Billboard Music Awards | $93.30 |
| Total ordered for disgorgement | $2,641,374 |
These amounts are the components of this specific administrative award, not a benchmark for typical entertainment-management commissions.
What does California’s Talent Agencies Act cover?
As described in the determination, California’s Talent Agencies Act generally bars a person without a talent-agency license from procuring or attempting to procure employment for artists. The decision also describes a limited safe harbor: a manager may, in certain circumstances, negotiate contracts in conjunction with and at the request of a licensed talent agent. The exception is limited to that kind of negotiation; it is not a blanket authorization for unlicensed managers to procure work.
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The commissioner applied those rules to the specific procurements and record before the agency. The resulting order concerned the commissions identified in the award table, rather than every payment or all management work during Clarkson’s career.
How is the later lawsuit different from the award proceeding?
In a March 2024 cross-complaint filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, Clarkson and associated companies alleged that Starstruck and the Blackstocks had performed unlicensed talent-agency functions beginning around 2007. They sought relief under California Labor Code section 1700 et seq.
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Those statements are allegations in a later civil pleading, not findings in the Labor Commissioner’s 2023 determination. The roughly 2007 starting point alleged in that filing is also distinct from the award’s defined coverage: commissions paid on or after October 20, 2019.
Did the later lawsuit affirm or increase the award?
The available record does not establish that a court affirmed or increased the $2,641,374 award, or that the award was paid. The award itself was issued by the Labor Commissioner in 2023. A later court claim seeking related relief should not be described as changing that amount without a record showing what the court did.
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Was the dispute settled?
A later report by The Daily Beast says the parties settled their lawsuits, but it does not disclose the terms or establish exactly how the particular claim concerning the award was resolved. The reported settlement therefore does not show whether the ordered amount was paid, modified, or otherwise disposed of.
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