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Cher has been ordered to shell out over $1 million in attorney's fees incurred during her legal battle against Sonny Bono's widow, Mary, despite winning the royalties case in 2024.
After Sonny and Cher parted ways, they agreed to an equal split of royalties from the songs they released. However, in October 2021, Cher filed a suit alleging that Mary, a former congresswoman, was withholding funds she was owed.
The Strong Enough hitmaker won the case in May 2024, with a federal judge ordering Cher to be paid over $418,000 in royalties. However, the court battle has stretched into this year, with the music icon filing a motion in January asking the court to require Mary to pay her whopping $1,023,605.50 attorney's fees, alleging she tried to "misuse" the Copyright Act to unlawfully "obtain a windfall" at her expense. This comes after the music icon sparked speculation about Alexander Edwards' marriage by wearing a massive ring at her son's wedding.
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On July 17, US District Judge John A. Kronstadt denied Cher's request, ordering her to pay her own legal costs, according to court documents obtained by the Daily Mail.
Mary had attempted to end the rights to songs such as "I Got You Babe" and "The Beat Goes On," as well as Cher's 50% stake in the musical recordings she made with Sonny.
However, the judge ruled that California contract law, which governed her divorce agreement, took precedence over the federal Copyright Act's power to terminate copyrights.
Sonny tragically died in a skiing accident in 1998 at age 62, and his share of the publishing revenue was inherited by his heirs. The legal case arose after Mary used a 2016 feature of copyright law that allows songwriters and their heirs to reclaim rights they had previously signed away.
The Believe hitmaker had her royalties withdrawn in 2021, prompting her to pursue legal action.
Her legal team argued that the termination clause invoked by Mary was "wholly inapplicable" to the royalty agreement established in the former couple's divorce settlement.
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