Cher Wins Royalties Court Battle Against Late Ex-Husband Sonny Bono’s Wife, Mary Bono
Cher has secured a major legal victory after a federal judge issued a final ruling in her four-year royalties battle with Mary Bono, the widow of Cher’s late ex-husband, Sonny Bono. The judgment grants the music icon nearly everything she sought, including the payment of substantial legal costs.
US District Judge John A. Kronstadt formally cemented his earlier decision finding that Mary Bono, who oversees Sonny Bono’s estate, could not use the federal Copyright Act to terminate the 50 per cent share of Sonny’s composition royalties that Cher was awarded in the pair’s 1978 divorce agreement. Those royalties include earnings from timeless hits such as “I Got You Babe” and “The Beat Goes On.”
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Mary Bono had attempted to reclaim those rights by invoking the copyright termination provision, a federal law that allows creators or their heirs to recapture control of their work after a set period. She also sought to block Cher from receiving her 50 per cent share of royalties from the musical recordings.
The court rejected those attempts, ruling that California contract law, which governed the original divorce settlement, superseded the federal termination right in this case. In a notable extension of his decision, Judge Kronstadt also held that Cher maintains the right to continue receiving her royalties directly, even though she sold her interest in those rights to Irving Azoff’s Iconic Artists Group in 2022.
This aspect of the ruling reinforces her standing in the financial arrangement and ensures her royalty payments remain uninterrupted. The ruling also addressed the matter of legal fees. While Mary Bono argued that neither side should be allowed to recover costs, the judge concluded that Cher is entitled to recover costs as the prevailing party on all but one of the claims.
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The outcome brings closure to a contentious legal fight rooted in one of music’s most famous partnerships. Cher, who turns 80 next year, first rose to prominence in the 1960s performing alongside Sonny Bono before achieving a legendary solo career spanning decades. Sonny Bono died in a skiing accident in 1998, leaving Mary Bono to manage his estate.
With the court’s final judgment now entered, Cher’s longstanding royalty rights remain intact, marking a significant win for the singer after years of litigation.
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