A California judge has denied Cher's request to force Sonny Bono's widow, Mary Bono, to cover more than $1 million in legal fees from their ongoing royalties dispute.
The decision came on Friday, rejecting the singer's motion to collect attorney fees incurred during the court battle over music royalties.
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Cher had originally filed a complaint against Mary Bono seeking $1 million in damages for royalties from songs she recorded with Sonny, including hits like "I Got You Babe" and "The Beat Goes On."
She argued she was entitled to 50% of the royalties under their 1978 divorce agreement. However, Mary allegedly tried to use copyright laws to terminate Cher's rights.
In May 2024, a judge sided with Cher, ruling she was owed more than $418,000 in unpaid royalties.
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Cher then sought to have Mary pay the hefty legal fees she accumulated during the lawsuit.
But the judge denied the motion, reasoning that the copyright law Cher invoked to collect attorney fees did not apply.
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The dispute was primarily over the divorce agreement, not copyright law, the judge explained.
Cher and Sonny Bono collaborated for over a decade on music and their TV show "The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour."
They had an unofficial wedding in 1964 before legally marrying in 1969, then divorced in 1975 and ended their working relationship in 1977.
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Sonny married Mary, a former California congresswoman, in 1986. They remained together until his death in a skiing accident on January 5, 1998.
