Judge rules for Cher in royalties lawsuit vs Sonny Bono’s widow

LOS ANGELES – A federal judge in Los Angeles has again ruled for Cher in her lawsuit claiming Sonny Bono’s widow owes her $1 million in royalties for Sonny & Cher songs, according to court papers obtained Tuesday by City News Service.

US District Judge John Kronstadt wrote in a final judgment issued Nov. 26 that Mary Bono could not use the federal Copyright Act to reclaim the 50% share of Sonny’s composition royalties granted to Cher in her 1978 divorce agreement with Sonny.

Sonny Bono‘s widow had tried to dissolve those rights for such 1960s hits as “I Got You Babe” and “The Beat Goes On,” plus Cher’s 50% share of recordings she made with Sonny.

You may like: Kevin Costner loses round in ‘Horizon 2’ sexual harassment lawsuit

Kronstadt also held that Cher retains her right to have her composition and record royalties paid directly to her, even though she sold the rights to Irving Azoff’s Iconic Artists Group in 2022.

The judge also ruled Cher will be awarded costs as the prevailing party on all but one claim, and Mary Bono may recover costs on the one claim she won.

Cher, now 79, filed suit against the widow of her former partner/husband in the folk-pop duo in October 2021 in Los Angeles federal court. She alleged that Sonny Bono’s estate, administered by his widow, improperly tried to terminate her rights to Sonny & Cher royalties.

Mary Bono, 64, countered that the federal Copyright Act allows her to terminate the 50% right to royalties that Sonny Bono agreed to pay Cher when the ex-couple signed their divorce settlement in 1978.

Cher and Sonny Bono married in 1964 and began performing under the name Caesar and Cleo, before switching to Sonny & Cher. In addition to their music, the couple built their celebrity via television, starring in the 1971-74 CBS variety show, “The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour.”

Their career as a duo waned by the mid-1970s, though each was successful on their own — Cher in movies such as “Mask” and “Moonstruck” and Sonny Bono as a California politician.

Sonny Bono was mayor of Palm Springs from 1988-92 and a Republican congressman from 1995 until his death in a skiing accident in 1998. He was succeeded by his widow, who served until 2013. (CNS)

The post Judge rules for Cher in royalties lawsuit vs Sonny Bono’s widow appeared first on USNewsRank.