Chance The Rapper wins a $1.5 million judgment in a second trial against his former manager.
According to a Billboard report, published on Wednesday (Oct. 14), Chance, born Chancelor Bennett, secured a second legal win on Tuesday (Oct. 13) against former manager Pat Corcoran (aka Pat the Manager) that will ultimately give the Chicago rapper a $1.5 million payout.
In a court ruling, Judge James E. Hanlon Jr. determined that Corcoran breached his fiduciary responsibilities to Chance by secretly requiring side payments from merchandise vendors. The judge ordered Corcoran to surrender what he called “secret funds” to Chance, and refund the 15% commissions he earned on merchandise during this period.
“The trial exhibits should allow the parties to compute the figure,” Judge Hanlon reportedly wrote. “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.”
Tuesday’s court victory follows Chance’s first legal win against Corcoran back in March. The 33-year-old rapper was being sued by Corcoran for $3.8 million, including $1.6 million in sunset clause–related commissions and $2.2 million for managerial work that he claimed went unpaid. After a two-week trial, a Cook County, Ill., jury took just a few hours to return a verdict in favor of Chance. He was only awarded $35 at that point for breach of contract and tortious interference.
Following the judge’s latest ruling on Tuesday, Chance The Rapper’s attorney, Precious S. Jacobs, of the Jenner & Block law firm, issued this statement to XXL:
“We are pleased with the Court’s thorough and thoughtful opinion that confirms what Chance has maintained from day one: that Patrick Corcoran owed him fiduciary duties while he was serving as Chance’s manager and that he violated those duties in multiple ways over an extended period,” the statement reads.
“With the Court’s ruling on top of the jury’s verdict in March, Chance has prevailed on every claim he brought — breach of contract, tortious interference, and breach of fiduciary duty — and defeated Corcoran’s claims in full. No amount of attempted spin can change those facts,” the statement continues. “And, the Court’s current ruling is significant for many reasons, including because it is the first decision to confirm that a manager who represents an artist is a fiduciary and owes the artist fiduciary duties.”
“We could not be prouder of Chance for refusing to look the other way and for standing up not just for himself as an independent artist, but for every artist who puts their career in a manager’s hands and deserves honesty, loyalty, and trust in return,” the statement concludes.
A status hearing has been set for Nov. 30, 2026, to address the final figures. Additionally, the judge ordered Corcoran to surrender the ChanceRaps.com domain name to Chance, and it’s possible that additional interest might be added to the final judgment.
See Chance The Rapper’s Instagram Post About His Second Trial Victory Against His Former Manager
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