Cher just proved that time, grief, and even US copyright law are no match for a woman who knows what she is owed.
After four long years in court, a federal judge in Los Angeles has ruled that Cher keeps her full 50% share of the classic Sonny & Cher royalties, including I Got You Babe and The Beat Goes On. The case pitted her against Sonny Bono’s widow, Mary Bono, who tried to use a copyright loophole to cut Cher out of millions in long term earnings from the music they built together as a duo.
The judge went back to a promise made in 1978, when Cher and Sonny finalized their divorce. That agreement said the royalties would be split down the middle. The court has now confirmed that this deal still stands, no matter how many years have passed or how the law has changed since then.
Cher not only keeps her share of the money. She also keeps her place in the payment chain, even after selling her catalogue to Iconic Artists Group in 2022. The court said the estate cannot push her aside or route payments around her, and it ordered that she be paid the royalties that were withheld, along with significant legal costs.
Cher Wins Major Royalties Battle Against Mary Bono | Legal Victory Explained
Cher’s “I Got You Babe” was the first big hit that turned Sonny and Cher into stars and created the money now at the heart of this fight. In this classic 1965 performance on The Ed Sullivan Show, you see the young couple, the bold clothes, and the bohemian energy that shocked TV back then.
Sonny & Cher “I Got You Babe” on The Ed Sullivan Show
In 1987, long after the divorce, Sonny and Cher stood side by side on David Letterman’s stage and slipped back into the song that built their lives. They laugh, Cher forgets a line, Sonny guides her, and for a few minutes it feels like time bends.