Chance The Rapper Wins Countersuit Against Former Friend and Manager, Awarded $35
- Chinyere Ibeh
- 1 hour ago
- 3 min read
The jury only took a couple of hours to come to a decision, resulting in a $35 payout to the Chicago rapper.
The half-decade long legal battle between Chance the Rapper and former manager, Pat Corcoran, ended on Friday as a Chicago jury ruled that Corcoran failed to prove he was owed $3.8 million — $2.2 million in unpaid work and $1.6 million in unpaid commissions and royalties.
Chance, real name Chancellor Bennett, spoke with the Chicago Sun-Times after the trial, saying that he claims the victory “in the name of the Lord.” Bennett had countersued for $1 million, though the jury decided that Corcoran only had to pay $35. The jury also recommended he turn over the internet domain name ChanceRaps.com, a website he used to sell Chance the Rapper merchandise.
Speaking with the press after the trial, Corcoran’s team argued there was no substantial damages awarded to either party.
“We respect the jury’s decision, but the message to music managers is clear: get it in writing,” one of Corcoran’s lawyers, Jay Scharkey, said. “The jury award of $35 speaks to how seriously the jury viewed Chance’s case.”
Bennett’s lead attorney, Precious Jacobs-Perry, issued her own statement to the press following the trial.
“The jury heard the evidence for more than two weeks and reached the correct conclusion: Mr. Bennett never agreed to pay commissions after his management relationship with Pat Corcoran ended, and Mr. Corcoran’s breached their contract. This ruling is not only a victory for Mr. Bennett, it is a victory for independent artists everywhere. … And above all, we are happy for our client who has been standing on principle for years.”
Corcoran himself declined to speak with the Sun-Times. He previously claimed that he and Bennett had a “sunset clause,” which would allow him to receive three years of earnings after his April 2020 termination. His firing came during the fallout from Bennett’s album “The Big Day,” which was not received well amongst fans and critics alike.
The jury heard details of Bennett’s countersuit, in which Bennett accused Corcoran of breach of duty. Corcoran’s legal team described him as a hardworking manager who deserved his fair payment for helping in Bennett’s come up. The legal team for Bennett painted the narrative that Corcoran was an opportunistic former employee who was fired for a reason and isn’t owed anything.
Robert Sweeney, the lead attorney for Corcoran, explained that his client had an agreement entitling him to 15% of net profits for any project Bennett worked on. Bennett’s attorneys fought against these claims, arguing that Corcoran and Bennett never had a written contract.
They supposedly worked based on a 2013 handshake deal and verbal agreement, a deal that Corcoran allegedly had no problem with until he was fired.
“There’s not one single document in the seven years they worked together that shows any evidence of a sunset,” Jacobs-Perry said. She also claimed that Corcoran was overpaid by a little more than $312K before his termination.
Bennett’s attorney also focused on the allegations in his countersuit, notably alleging that Corcoran mishandled business deals with merchandise companies. Bennett also alleged in his countersuit that Corcoran was trying to collect kickbacks to help his other management business.
The five-year legal battle comes to an end, following the end of a manager-artist relationship that helped shape the world of independent music. The duo worked together as Bennett went from a local star to a global sensation, essentially inseparable throughout the 2010s.