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Chance the Rapper is celebrating after he won his six-year legal battle against former manager Patrick "Pat" Corcoran.
In a hearing held on Wednesday, October 14, Cook County Circuit Court Judge James E. Hanlon Jr. ordered Corcoran to cough up $1.5 million that he owes Chance. The judge ordered him to return improper commissions he made from merchandise and funds from his 15 percent management compensation. He must also transfer ownership of ChanceRaps.com within 14 days. The judge ruled against Corcoran after he violated his obligations to Chance while managing him during the peak of his music career.
"I'm grateful to finally close this chapter of my life and can't wait to eventually tell my side of the story," Chance said in a statement. "I'm thankful to the courts and, more importantly, to God for remaining faithful."
According to Complex, Chano sued his manager of 10 years after in 2021 for breach of fiduciary duty after he allegedly paid himself twice while managing him. He alleged Corcoran received 15% in management fees while also demanding secret payments from vendors who made the rapper's merchandise. In addition, Chance accused Corcoran of trying to obtain an equity interest in UnitedMasters from a deal meant for Chance. Corcoran was also accused of registering Chance's website domain in his own name and pursuing other exclusive business deals that were intended for Chance.
Corcoran originally sued Chance after claiming he was owed $3.8 million in unpaid commissions and royalties following his termination in April 2020. According to the Chicago Sun-Times, Corcoran claimed he and Chance had "a sunset clause" that entitled him to three years of income. During the jury trial, Chance testified that they only had an "at-will agreement that didn’t address termination." The jury ruled in Chance's favor and found that Corcoran failed to prove his allegations.