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Cher wins royalties lawsuit against Sonny Bono's widow

Updated on: May 30, 2024 / 2:23 PM PDT / KCAL News

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 02: Cher arrives at NBC's "Carol Burnett: 90 Years Of Laughter + Love" Birthday Special at Avalon Hollywood & Bardot on March 02, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. / Getty Images

Cher won a lawsuit she filed against the widow of Sonny Bono over royalties for songs she and Bono made together such as "I Got You Babe."

The Grammy award-winning singer is owed more than $400,000 accrued since the lawsuit was filed in 2021. She sued Mary Bono accusing her of withholding royalties from songs within the Sonny & Cher catalog. The lawsuit said Cher was entitled to a 50-50 share of the royalties as stated in an agreement she and her former husband and musical partner made in their 1978 divorce settlement.

In 1998, Bono died in a skiing accident and left his share to his heirs.

August 1965: American singers Cher (Cherylynn LaPiere, Cherilyn Sarkisian) and Sonny Bono (Salvatore Bono) (1935 - 1998) on a visit to London. / Getty Images

At a federal court in Los Angeles, U.S. District Judge John Kronstadt said the over 40-year-old agreement entitled Cher to receive 50 percent of royalties from Sonny & Cher songs like "The Beat Goes On" and "I Got You Babe," according to court papers obtained by City News Service.

The former couple created and performed together as Sonny & Cher through the 1960s and 70s, going on to star in The Sonny & Cher Show from 1971 to 1974.

Marissa Wenzke

Marissa Wenzke is a journalist based in Los Angeles. She has a bachelor's degree in political science from UC Santa Barbara and is a graduate of Columbia Journalism School.