Cher bears USD 1 million of her legal fees in royalty lawsuit

Cher won a royalty lawsuit against Mary Bono but must bear USD 1 million of her own legal fees after the court denied her request for attorney fees.

Mary Bono was ordered to pay Cher over USD 418,000 in unpaid royalties in May 2024.

The legal conflict stems from a 1978 divorce settlement between Cher and Sonny Bono, which formalized a 50% split of royalties.

Cher claimed Mary Bono tried to terminate the royalty deal using a provision of the Copyright Act of 1976, which the court found inapplicable.

Judge John A. Kronstadt ruled that Mary Bono cannot use the federal Copyright Act to reclaim the 50% royalties granted to Cher in the divorce agreement.