Chance the Rapper Wins $35 Verdict in Manager's $3.8M Lawsuit
A five-year legal battle between Chance the Rapper and his former manager, Pat Corcoran, has ended with a surprising verdict. The dispute centred on claims of unpaid royalties and a contested verbal agreement. After a two-week trial, the jury awarded the artist just $35 in damages. The partnership between Chance the Rapper and Pat Corcoran began in 2012, as the artist rose to fame through a do-it-yourself approach. For nearly eight years, Corcoran managed his career under an informal 15% commission arrangement—never formally written down.
In 2019, tensions emerged when Chance released The Big Day, his first official studio album, without consulting Corcoran. The project underperformed critically and commercially. Then, in April 2020, Chance fired his manager, prompting Corcoran to sue later that year for $3.8 million in alleged unpaid royalties and commissions.
Corcoran claimed their deal included a 'sunset clause,' entitling him to a share of earnings for three years post-termination. But no written contract existed. Chance countered that their agreement was at-will, with no terms on ending the partnership.
The case went to trial in 2024, where the jury rejected Corcoran's claims entirely. They found no evidence of a binding contract. Instead, they ruled that Chance had suffered minor damages—$35—due to the business relationship.
Since the 2020 split, Chance's career has seen few major releases, tours, or commercial successes documented in public records. The lawsuit's resolution marks the most notable development in his professional life over the past six years. The trial's outcome closes a long-running dispute that began with Chance's dismissal of Corcoran in 2020. The $35 award, a fraction of the millions sought by both sides, brings finality to a case built on verbal agreements and conflicting accounts. No further legal action between the two is expected.
