Kelly Clarkson has filed a fresh cross-complaint in her ongoing legal struggle against her ex-boyfriend Brandon Blackstock and the management firm owned by his father, Narvel Blackstock. 

Filing Divorce

The talk show host has launched a countersuit against her ex-husband and his father Narvel Blackstock’s management company amid a protracted legal battle. This comes months after the pair appealed a California agency’s ruling ordering the group to repay the “Heartbeat” singer $2.6 million in commissions they had received while Brandon was her manager.

Kelly‘s attorneys claimed in her cross-complaint, which was obtained by E! News and was filed in a Los Angeles court on March 11, that the group violated labor laws because it was not licensed as a talent agency while Kelly was employed by her dad’s company, Starstruck Entertainment, from 2007 to 2020, the year she filed for divorce from Brandon.

Unpaid Compensation

Three months after Kelly filed for divorce, in September 2020, her interactions with Starstruck became the subject of a legal dispute between her and Brandon. In her initial lawsuit, Starstruck claimed the singer owed them $1.4 million in unpaid compensation for her work on The Kelly Clarkson Show and The Voice.

In response to Kelly’s petition, the California Division of Labor Standards Enforcement decided in November 2023 that Brandon was had to repay more than $2.6 million in commissions that were paid while he was Kelly’s manager. Later that month, he filed an appeal of the ruling, according to Today.

The singer has been open about the challenges she encountered during her divorce, particularly with regard to the children of the previous pair, River Rose, 9, and Remington Alexander, 7.