Chance the Rapper Wins Second Trial Against Former Manager Pat Corcoran
Chance the Rapper has won the second part of his legal fight with his former manager, Pat Corcoran.
On Oct. 13, Judge James E. Hanlon Jr. ruled that Corcoran breached his fiduciary duties to the rapper, whose legal name is Chancelor Bennett. A fiduciary duty is the legal obligation for a manager to put a client's interests first.
The ruling followed a short second trial before the judge in May. It focused on one claim left over from the main trial in March, when a Cook County jury in Chicago sided with Bennett on breach of contract and tortious interference claims. Tortious interference, in plain terms, means improperly interfering with someone else's business relationships. That jury awarded Bennett $35, according to Billboard.
Judge Hanlon found that Corcoran, known during the partnership as Pat the Manager, breached those duties by demanding his own side payments from merchandise vendors without Bennett's knowledge. Merch is a core income stream for touring artists, covering T-shirts, hoodies and other goods sold at shows and online.
The judge ordered Corcoran to give up those secret profits. He must also return all of the 15% commissions he earned on merch during the relevant period.
Bennett's representatives predict the final judgment will total around $1.5 million. The exact figure has not been calculated. A follow-up court conference is scheduled for late November to address the maths.
The order also requires Corcoran to return the domain chanceraps.com to Bennett.
The decision narrows what Bennett's team had sought. His lawyers had pursued nearly $11 million in the case. Judge Hanlon found that Corcoran's fiduciary duties covered music, touring and merch only. They did not extend to side investments in a Chicago theater project, a media startup and a film company.
The dispute began in 2020, when Corcoran sued Bennett, alleging he was owed nearly $4 million in commissions. Corcoran, who says he struck his management agreement with Bennett in 2013, later sought $3.8 million in unpaid commissions and royalties, as reported by Music Business Worldwide and the Chicago Sun-Times.
Bennett argued he never agreed to pay commissions after the management relationship ended. The March verdict, decided by a Cook County jury, found he does not have to pay the $3.8 million. Law firm Jenner & Block, which represented Bennett, confirmed that trial victory in March.
The first trial drew public attention at the courthouse, with supporters including Ye, formerly Kanye West, and mgk attending.
What makes this stand out is the two-step structure. The jury decided the contract claims in March. The judge then decided the fiduciary claim separately. For readers following the money, the next step is the November conference, where the court will turn the October ruling into a final dollar amount.
