Cher Loses Bid In $1Million Attorney’s Fees From Sonny Bono’s Widow

The latest ruling stems from a lawsuit Cher filed in October 2021 after Mary served notices seeking to terminate certain copyright interests in Sonny’s catalog.

The dispute centered on whether those termination notices affected Cher’s contractual rights to continue receiving royalty payments under the couple’s 1978 Marriage Settlement Agreement.

While Cher ultimately prevailed on key claims in the case and secured judgment in late 2025, the singer later returned to court seeking an order requiring Mary to reimburse her legal expenses incurred throughout the litigation.

In her motion, Cher asked the court to award her $1,023,605.30 in attorney’s fees, plus an estimated $10,000 for preparing her reply, arguing the expenses were incurred while successfully prosecuting the years-long dispute. The filing said the requested fees covered everything from drafting the complaint and amended complaint to discovery disputes, depositions, summary judgment motions, trial preparation and settlement efforts.

Judge Kronstadt, however, determined Cher was not entitled to recover those fees, rejecting her effort to have Mary Bono reimburse the legal costs she incurred throughout the years-long litigation.

The court explained Cher’s royalty and approval rights arose from the parties’ Marriage Settlement Agreement and that those contractual rights—not copyright ownership itself—ultimately controlled the outcome of the case, making the Copyright Act’s attorney-fee provision inapplicable.

Because of that distinction, the judge found the attorney-fee provision contained in Section 505 of the Copyright Act did not apply.

“In light of the foregoing, because section 505 does not apply to the matter at issue, Plaintiff’s Motion is DENIED”, the judge wrote in the ruling.

The decision means Cher must absorb her own legal costs despite successfully defending her royalty rights against Sonny’s widow. The latest ruling does not overturn Cher’s earlier courtroom victory.

Instead, it resolves only the separate dispute over whether Mary should be required to pay Cher’s attorney’s fees after the singer won judgment on the underlying claims involving royalty and approval rights tied to Sonny’s music catalog.

The legal fight has stretched nearly five years since Cher first sued Mary in October 2021, with both sides battling over the effect of federal copyright termination notices and the continued validity of Cher’s contractual royalty interests under the former couple’s divorce agreement.

The judge’s latest order closes the door on Cher’s attempt to shift the cost of that lengthy litigation to Mary, leaving each side responsible for its own legal expenses.