Cher Must Pay $1 Million Legal Tab Over Royalties Battle With Sonny Bono’s Widow

Cher will have to pick up her own $1 million legal tab racked up from her court fight with Sonny Bono’s widow, Mary Bono.

While Cher was the overall victor in their battle over royalties following a federal judge’s decision in December 2025, the singer was denied her bid to force Mary to repay her $1,023,605 legal bill, as Billboard reports. According to the publication, Judge John A. Kronstadt stated that because Cher and Mary’s feud centered mainly on contracts versus federal copyright law, the rules that would have ordered repayment did not apply in this case.

Late last year, Kronstadt sided with Cher, issuing a final judgment in the singer’s four-year royalties war with Mary, the head of her late husband’s estate. In his final judgment signed Nov. 26, 2025, the judge formally lodged his prior ruling that found Mary was prohibited from using the federal Copyright Act to reclaim the 50 percent share of Sonny’s composition royalties granted to Cher in her 1978 divorce agreement with Sonny.

Kronstadt also ruled 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. As Rolling Stone previously reported, Mary wanted to do business directly with Iconic and route the payments through the estate, without Cher involved.

Mary later challenged the judge’s ruling that found Cher is entitled to half of the publishing royalties from her 1960s hit songs with Sonny including “I Got You Babe” and “The Beat Goes On.” A federal appeals court has yet to rule on the appeal.

A lawyer for Mary Bono said they “do not have any comment at this time.” A lawyer for Cher did not immediately respond to Rolling Stone‘s request for comment.

Cher, 79, rose to fame alongside Sonny in the 1960s before establishing a decades-long solo career that brought her Grammy, Oscar, and Emmy wins. Earlier this year, the music legend made a special appearance at the 2026 Grammy Awards to accept the Lifetime Achievement Award.

Following Sonny’s death caused by a skiing accident in 1998, Mary was left to helm his estate. Sonny’s music publishing grants became eligible for termination beginning in 2018, prompting Mary to notify publishers of her intent to reclaim certain interests.