Cher will cover her own legal costs of more than $1 million after a court fight over royalties with Mary Bono, widow of Sonny Bono. A federal judge ruled in Cher's favor last year but denied her request for repayment of the fees.
A federal judge ruled that Cher does not have to be repaid the $1,023,605 in legal fees from her royalties dispute with Mary Bono. Judge John A. Kronstadt found that the case centered on contracts rather than federal copyright law, so repayment rules did not apply.
The decision came after Kronstadt issued a final judgment on Nov. 26, 2025, that sided with Cher in the four-year dispute. The ruling confirmed Cher's right to half of the publishing royalties from songs such as “I Got You Babe” and “The Beat Goes On,” and it barred Mary Bono from reclaiming those rights through the Copyright Act.
Cher sold her rights to Irving Azoff’s Iconic Artists Group in 2022, but the judge upheld her entitlement to direct royalty payments. Mary Bono has appealed the ruling, and a federal appeals court has not yet decided the matter.
A lawyer for Mary Bono declined to comment. Cher's lawyer did not respond to requests for comment.
