March 23, 2026
In a million-dollar counter lawsuit, Chance was awarded $35.
Chance the Rapper was victorious over his former manager in a court case. Pat Corcoran claimed the Chicago rapper owed him millions of dollars in unpaid commissions and royalties.
According to The Chicago Sun-Times, the jury ruled against Corcoran on March 20 after deliberating for two hours and after a two-week trial, finding that the former manager did not prove his case. Corcoran, who managed Chance’s career for almost eight years, said the Chicago native owed him $3.8 million.
Their business relationship lasted from 2012 until 2020, when Chance fired Corcoran.
“I claim victory in the name of the Lord,” Chance said after the verdict was announced.
Corcoran claimed in his lawsuit that he had a “sunset clause,” meaning that he was entitled to three years of earnings after they parted ways in April 2020, after the release of Chance’s album, The Big Day. There was no written contract, just a handshake agreement that worked for both parties until Corcoran was fired, according to Chance’s legal team.
“There’s not one single document in the seven years they worked together that shows any evidence of a sunset,” Chance’s attorney, Precious Jacobs-Perry, said.
However, Corcoran’s attorney, Robert Sweeney, stated in closing arguments that his client had an agreement with Chance under which the former manager would be entitled to 15% of the net profits from projects he worked on, even if he was fired. And with that agreement between the two, royalties and one-time fees for the work he produced for a canceled 2019-2020 tour with Live Nation, a Ben & Jerry’s brand partnership, as well as the 2019 Netflix rap competition series, Rhythm & Flow, were owed to him.
“It doesn’t matter when money comes in; it matters if you worked on it,” Sweeney said during the trial. “If you worked on it, you get paid. Mr. Corcoran is here because he wants to get paid.”
“Chance sued Pat on principle after learning about the things Pat was doing behind his back,” said Jacobs-Perry. “Chance decided to stand up for himself and artists everywhere. He made a choice early in his career to be independent, to own his own music and be free from labels and third parties…and it defined everything that followed.”
Chance also sued Corocran for $1 million in damages, and although the jury ruled in his favor, he was awarded only $35 and ownership of the website, ChanceRaps, which had previously been owned by the former manager. He accused Corcoran of breach of duty. Jacobs-Perry also alleged that Corcoran had been overpaid by $312,300 before his termination.
Although Corcoran lost his lawsuit, his attorney, Jay Scharkey, said, “We respect the jury’s decision, but the message to music managers is clear: Get it in writing.”
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