Chance the Rapper Wins Second Trial Against Pat the Manager Over Merch Vendor ‘Secret Profits’
Categoria: Musica
Reps for Chance predict his legal judgment will come out to around $1.5 million.
Por Billboard | 14/10/2026
Chance the Rapper has won the second round of his legal battle against former manager Pat Corcoran , securing a financial judgment that the artist’s reps predict will ultimately come out to around $1.5 million. Back in March, a Chicago jury sided with the rapper (Chancelor Bennett) in his bitter legal feud with Corcoran, who was known as Pat the Manager during their long partnership. Chance won only $35 at that point for breach of contract and tortious interference, but he still had a remaining claim for breach of fiduciary duty against Corcoran. That allegation was the subject of a second mini-trial before a judge in May, resulting in a Tuesday (Oct. 13) court ruling. Related Chance the Rapper Defeats Pat the Manager’s Claims in Chicago Contract Trial Hilary Duff to Receive Outstanding Pop Tour of the Year Award at 2026 Billboard Live Music Summit Judge Rules Woman Accused of Shooting at Rihanna & A$AP Rocky's Home Mentally Fit to Stand Trial In Tuesday’s ruling, obtained by Billboard , Judge James E. Hanlon Jr. held that Corcoran indeed breached his fiduciary duties to Chance by demanding, without the rapper’s knowledge, his own side payments from merch vendors. The judge ordered Corcoran to give up these “secret profits” to Chance, and also to return all the 15% commissions he earned on merch during this period. “The trial exhibits should allow the parties to compute the figure,” wrote Judge Hanlon. “If the records leave a real doubt about whether a given payment related to Bennett’s orders, the court will resolve the doubt against Corcoran, whose company kept those records and took the payments.” A follow-up court conference is scheduled for late November to address this calculation. Chance’s reps tell Billboard they believe that amount will ultimately come out to around $1.5 million. Corcoran has also been ordered to return the domain chanceraps.com, and it’s possible that interest could be added to the judgment as well. That award will be less than the nearly $11 million sought by Chance’s team. That’s because Judge Hanlon found that Corcoran’s fiduciary duties only extended to music, touring and merch, meaning he was free to make side investments in a Chicago theater project, media startup and film company. “Corcoran performed years of valuable work in music and touring that Bennett accepted and profited from, work that was not tainted by self-dealing,” added the judge. “Stripping Corcoran of all his compensation across the life of the relationship would hand Bennett a windfall and would punish loyal work along with disloyal work.” Related How Chance the Rapper’s Lawyer Helped Him ‘Stand on Principle’ — and Win — in Pat the Manager Contract Trial Notably, Tuesday’s ruling determined that Corcoran was not always a credible witness. Judge Hanlon said Corcoran’s testimony during the two trials conflicted at times with the evidence; for example, he denied seeking equity in UnitedMasters during deal talks with Cha