Cher Wins the Royalty Battle But Loses $1M in Legal Fees: What the Judge Just Decided

Cher’s legal victory over Sonny Bono’s widow Mary just came with a major financial caveat. A federal judge confirmed Cher won the underlying royalty dispute in May 2024, ruling that Cher’s 1978 divorce settlement guarantees her permanent 50% of publishing revenue from classic Sonny&Cher songs like“I Got You Babe,”“The Beat Goes On,”and“Baby Don’t Go.”Mary Bono had tried to argue that copyright termination rights would let her stop paying Cher, but the judge shut that down completely. Cher should have been celebrating, but then came the kicker.

When Cher asked the court to force Mary to repay the $1,023,605 in legal fees Cher accumulated fighting the dispute, the judge denied the request. Why? Judge John Kronstadt ruled that since the case centered on state contract law rather than federal copyright law, the special legal fee-shifting rules that typically allow winners to recover costs didn’t apply. In other words, Cher got her royalties secured forever, but she’s covering her own seven-figure legal bill. Mary Bono is currently appealing the entire ruling at the federal appeals court level, meaning this saga could stretch out even further.

This case highlights an uncomfortable truth about litigation: you can be completely right and still walk away thousands of dollars lighter. For musicians and artists with divorce settlements involving royalties, it underscores how important proper legal wording is from day one. What part of this story surprises you most?