Cher Ordered to Pay $1 Million in Legal Fees Despite Winning Royalties Battle with Sonny Bono's Widow
Entertainment icon Cher faces a $1 million legal bill despite winning a royalties dispute against Mary Bono, the widow of her former husband and musical partner Sonny Bono. US District Judge John A. Kronstadt ruled on July 17 that the singer must cover her own attorney's fees because the case primarily involved contractual agreements rather than federal copyright law.
The legal battle stems from a 1978 divorce settlement in which Cher and Sonny Bono agreed to split royalties equally from their catalog of songs released during their decade-long marriage and professional partnership. The duo, who married in 1964 and divorced in 1975, sold over 40 million records worldwide and earned two Grammy nominations during the 1970s with hits including "I Got You Babe" and "The Beat Goes On." Their variety program, The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour, aired from 1971 to 1974.
Following Sonny Bono's death on January 5, 1998, when he collided with a tree while skiing at Heavenly Mountain ski resort in South Lake Tahoe, California, Mary Bono became administrator of his estate. She went on to serve as a US Representative from California's 44th and 45th Congressional Districts from April 1998 to January 2013, winning a special election to fill the seat her late husband had held. Sonny Bono had served as Mayor of Palm Springs from 1988 to 1992 before becoming a Republican congressman in 1995.
The Royalties Dispute
In October 2021, Cher filed suit alleging that Mary Bono was withholding royalty proceeds owed to her from the music catalog. The dispute centered on actions taken by Wixen Music Publishing, an independent company founded in 1979 by Randall Wixen that specializes in music publishing administration and royalty compliance. The firm, which represents over 4,000 songwriters including Tom Petty, Neil Young, and David Bowie, had been managing and distributing Cher's royalty share since 2011.
According to court documents, Cher claimed that Mary Bono and Sonny's four children utilized provisions of the Copyright Act to terminate the previously agreed-upon arrangement. Under Section 203 of the Copyright Act of 1976, songwriters or their heirs can reclaim US publishing rights 35 years after the original copyright grant was made, within a five-year window. Cher alleged this termination was executed without her knowledge or participation.
The lawsuit revealed that Wixen Music Publishing had paid $187,000 to Sonny's heirs, including $93,500 to Mary Bono, while holding an additional $418,156.82 in royalties that should have been distributed to Cher. However, this termination right under US copyright law cannot be waived, sold in advance, or forfeited by contract, as federal copyright law takes precedence over state contract law.
Court Victory With Financial Consequences
In May 2024, a federal judge ruled in Cher's favor, ordering that she receive more than $418,000 in unpaid royalties. Following this victory, Cher filed a motion in January 2026 demanding that Mary Bono pay her $1,023,605.30 in attorney's fees incurred during the litigation.
Judge Kronstadt denied this request, determining that because the dispute primarily involved the interpretation of contractual agreements from the 1978 divorce settlement rather than questions of federal copyright law, awarding attorney's fees would be inappropriate under the circumstances. This distinction left Cher responsible for covering her own substantial legal costs despite prevailing in the underlying royalties claim.
The legal battle continues, as Mary Bono is currently appealing the original May 2024 decision that awarded Cher the unpaid royalties, meaning the dispute over the music catalog remains unresolved.
The case represents a notable deterioration in what was once a cordial relationship between the two women. They appeared together at Sonny Bono's Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony in 1998, and in 2012, Mary Bono joined Cher onstage at the GLAAD Media Awards to honor Cher's son Chaz Bono, with Cher calling Mary her "friend" and joking she was "the only good Republican in the world."
Representatives for Cher have not commented on the recent ruling regarding legal fees.
