In December, it was reported that Chance The Rapper's former manager Pat Cocoran -- known colloquially as Pat The Manager -- was suing his former client for a hefty sum of $3 million over an alleged breach of contract.
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In Cocoran's lawsuit, the basis centers around the accusation that Chance violated a 2013 verbal agreement during which it was indicated that he would pay Corcoran 15% of his total net profits, only to have the deal broken following the lackluster response to The Big Day. He maintains that Chance used The Big Day as a catalyst to terminate the partnership, despite the fact that Cocoran was actively attempting to persuade Chance to rethink and delay his release entirely.
Now, a new report from The Chicago Tribune indicates that Chance is striking back with a lawsuit of his own. During a recent appearance in Crook County court, Chano accused Cocoran of peddling a “gratuitous, fabricated narrative that is offensive and insulting.” In addition, Chance's lawsuit seeks to dismiss Cocoran's own entirely, while hitting his former manager with three separate charges of $1 million dollars for breach of fiduciary duty, interference that led to the loss of business opportunities and profit, and breach of contract.
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"Mr. Corcoran has been paid in full under his management services contract with Mr. Bennett," reads a statement from Chance's attorneys, as given to the Tribune. "Yet he chose to file a groundless and insulting lawsuit that ignores his own improper self-dealing and incompetence. Mr. Bennett has moved to dismiss the majority of that meritless lawsuit, and filed his own lawsuit to remedy the harm that Mr. Corcoran caused through his breaches of duty. Mr. Bennett trusts the legal system to reveal the truth of the parties’ relationship in due course.”
In addition, Chance accuses his former manager of sabotaging and derailing potential business opportunities, including one with United Masters. In a scathing assessment, Cocoran was accused of being a “marginally competent business manager” as well as a “bullying and abrasive self-promoter." Unsurprisingly, Cocoran's team retaliated with accusations that Chance's team was downplaying the true reality of their relationship and work as partners. Suffice it to say, it seems likely that both parties are headed for a Big Day in court, as this one doesn't appear to be headed toward an amicable resolution.
[via]