Two months after being sued by his former manager, Chance The Rapper has filed his own countersuit for $3 million, according to The Chicago Tribune. Chance filed the lawsuit in Cook County court, accusing Pat Corcoran of incurring millions of dollars in unreimbursed expenses while promoting Chance’s third mixtape Coloring Book.
Chance’s suit also seeks the dismissal of Corcoran’s complaint about breaching their contract, requesting $3 million in damages for breach of fiduciary duty; interference that led to the loss of business opportunities and profit; and breach of contract — $1 million for each charge.
In a statement, Chance’s rappers told the Tribune, ““Mr. Corcoran has been paid in full under his management services contract with Mr. Bennett. 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.”
While Pat’s lawsuit focuses on the explosive success of Chance’s third mixtape, Chance’s countersuit calls the Coloring Book success a direct result of his popularity from Acid Rap, which he recorded and promoted without Pat’s help. The two made an oral agreement after the mixtape’s success, but Chance says that Pat used his position to “convert Mr. Bennett’s opportunities for himself and to advance his own separate business interests” — among them, requesting Live Nation to invest in his wine business and adding himself as co-producer on a movie Chance was to write and produce.
Corcoran allegedly also requested various kickbacks while negotiating Chance’s business opportunities, such as demanding stock from Lyft in exchange for Chance’s participation in its philanthropic campaign in 2018. And while Corcoran’s suit claimed that The Big Day was a rush job, resulting in its disappointing reception among fans, Chance says Pat failed to live up to his role as “The Manager,” delegating responsibilities, skipping media appearances, and refusing to return inquiries from media. The idea to release Chance’s mixtapes to streaming ahead of The Big Day in lieu of a larger marketing plan allegedly came from Pat, who Chance says didn’t get the proper sample clearances, exposing him to more potential lawsuits. Finally, Chance claims it was Pat’s responsibility to have the debut album pressed on vinyl — but he never did, resulting in a wave of refunds that hurt Chance’s brand.
