Cher Must Pay Her Own $1 Million Legal Bill After Winning Royalties Case Against Sonny Bono’s Widow

Cher may have won her royalties battle against the widow of her late ex-husband, Sonny Bono, but she’s still being left to cover her own legal fees.

A federal judge this week denied Cher’s request to have her legal fees reimbursed, meaning she’ll be responsible for covering the more than $1 million she spent pursuing the case.

The fees are ones that she “incurred in the successful prosecution of this action against defendant Mary Bono,” court papers, shared by People on Tuesday, July 21, stated.

Mary Bono is the widow of Sonny and a former California congresswoman. Mary and the late singer married in 1986 and remained together until his death in a skiing accident in January 1998.

Before Sonny’s death, he and Cher, 80, were one of music’s biggest duos, recording hits including “I Got You Babe” and “The Beat Goes On.” Cher and Sonny were married from 1964 to 1975.

Cher’s legal dispute against Mary was centered on royalties from her and Sonny’s music catalog. In 2021, Cher filed a complaint against Mary, claiming she was owed $1 million in damages for the 50 percent share she’s entitled to per her 1978 divorce agreement.

Cher ultimately prevailed in the lawsuit in May 2024, when a California judge ruled she was owed more than $418,000 in unpaid royalties, the outlet reported.

In January, Cher’s lawyers requested she also be paid $1,023,605.30 in attorney’s fees, according to the outlet, citing court papers.

On Friday, July 17, Judge John A. Kronstadt denied the hitmaker’s request, ruling that the attorney’s fees provision under federal copyright law did not apply because the dispute had to do with contracts, per People.

Cher has not publicly commented on the ruling.

Separately, Cher is also still embroiled in ongoing legal proceedings relating to her son, Elijah Blue Allman. The famous mother has sought a conservatorship over her son since 2023. Although the matter was reportedly settled in 2024,  the music legend revived it this year, arguing her son’s recent arrest on burglary, simple assault, and criminal trespassing charges leaves him unable to manage his finances.

Cher has also alleged that Allman spends his annual trust payments on drugs and hotels.