Yahoo News Kelly Clarkson Sued by Father-in-Law's Management Company amid Split from Brandon Blackstock
Kelly Clarkson Reveals She 'Didn't See' Divorce 'Coming' as She Says Priority Is to 'Protect' Kids
“We know the best thing here is to protect our children and their little hearts,” Kelly Clarkson said
Kelly Clarkson is being sued by her management company, which is owned by her estranged husband Brandon Blackstock's father, Narvel Blackstock
According to documents obtained by PEOPLE, Starstruck Management Group filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court on Tuesday, claiming the singer owes over $1.4 million in unpaid commissions this year, in addition to the $1.9 million she already paid. The Blast was first to report the news.
Starstruck has represented Clarkson, 38, for the last 13 years, and the singer reportedly had a verbal contract with the Nashville-based company since 2007 outlining that she would pay them 15% commission on her gross earnings.
The lawsuit claims Clarkson hasn’t paid the total commission for her work on The Kelly Clarkson Show and The Voice this year.
Adam Christopher/NBCUniversal/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Kelly Clarkson
"Over the course of approximately 13 years, Starstruck developed Clarkson into a mega superstar,” the lawsuit states. "By way of example only, Starstruck was instrumental in helping Clarkson achieve success in terms of numerous hit albums, multiple GRAMMY wins and nominations, her role on popular television shows like The Voice and her own talk show."
"Despite Starstruck's hard work and dedication, Clarkson has decided she is going to stop paying Starstruck for what is contractually owed," it says.
A rep for Clarkson did not immediately return PEOPLE's request for comment.
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The lawsuit comes amid Clarkson's split from Brandon, with whom she shares two children with — daughter River Rose, 6, and son Remington Alexander, 4.
Art Streiber/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty; Taylor Hill/Getty Kelly Clarkson and Brandon Blackstock
Clarkson filed for divorce from Brandon, who also has kids Savannah, 18, and Seth, 13, from a previous marriage, on June 4, citing irreconcilable differences.
The "Because of You" singer met the music manager, 43, at a rehearsal for the Academy of Country Music Awards in 2006. They got engaged in December 2012 and wed in October 2013.
Since filing for divorce, Clarkson has been open about dealing with the split with her fans. She recently admitted that she "didn't see" the divorce "coming" and that she and Brandon are doing everything she can to protect their kids throughout the process.
"As you probably know, 2020 has brought a lot of change also to my personal life," she shared, speaking to a virtual audience from the studio at The Kelly Clarkson Show. "Definitely didn't see anything coming that came, but what I'm dealing with is hard — it involves more than just my heart, it involves a lot of little hearts."
"We know the best thing here is to protect our children and their little hearts," she continued during the show. "So I'm usually very open and I usually talk about everything but in this case I will talk a little bit here and there about how it affects me personally, but probably won't go too far into it because I'm a mama bear and my kids come first."
