Back in 2020, Chance The Rapper fired his longtime manager Pat Corcoran, who'd previously gone by the nickname Pat The Manager. Corcoran responded by suing Chance, claiming that Chance owed him $2.5 million of unreimbursed expenses. In 2021, Chance countersued Corcoran, accusing him of "self-dealing and incompetence." Earlier this year, Chance won his lawsuit, and a jury awarded him a grand total of $35. Now, Chance has another legal battle. This time, the payout could be significantly more lucrative, though not as lucrative as he wanted.
The Chicago Tribune reports that a Cook County judge found in Chance's favor in a bench trial on Tuesday, thus ending the long legal dispute between Chance and Corcoran. Judge James Hanlon found that Corcoran violated his fiduciary responsibilities to Chance, the one thing that the previous jury trial didn't decide. In a press release, Chance's representatives estimate that Corcoran will have to repay up to $1.5 million to Chance.
The judge ruled that Corcoran improperly received kickbacks in merchandising, awarding vendor commissions to his own companies. He'll have to pay back vendor commissions and forfeit his 15% management compensation on Chance's merchandise. The judge denied Chance's request for punitive damages and declined to award him the full $10 million that Chance paid to Corcoran over the years, which Chance had sought. Judge Hanlon wrote, "Corcoran performed years of valuable work in music and touring that Bennett had accepted and profited from, work that was not tainted by self-dealing."
In a statement, Chance says, "I’m grateful to finally close this chapter of my life and can’t wait to eventually tell my side of the story. I’m thankful to the courts and, more importantly, to God for remaining faithful."
A spokesman for Corcoran told the Tribune, "The court ruled there is no basis for Chance’s claim of more than $10 million in damages. We are pleased that the court agreed with Pat that he ‘performed years of valuable work that Bennett accepted and profited from, work that was not self-dealing.' It is now up to Chance to prove he incurred any harm at all in the very limited areas of merchandising outlined in the order."