Cher wins lawsuit against Sonny Bono’s widow over royalty payments

Cher won a years-long lawsuit against Sonny Bono’s widow over royalty payments for songs like “I Got You Babe” and “The Beat Goes On.”

The Grammy Award-winning artist filed a lawsuit against Mary Bono in 2021, accusing her of withholding royalties from Sonny & Cher’s catalog. The federal civil lawsuit states that Cher and Sonny agreed to an “equal division of their community property” after their divorce in 1975, which included an equal division of music royalty payments. The pair had made up A pop duo of the 60s and 70s Sonny and Cher were married from 1967 to 1975.

Cher said in her lawsuit that the 50-50 split continued after his death in a skiing accident in 1998. However, Mary Bono informed Cher that she was no longer eligible for her share of payments under copyright law, which allows songwriters and their representatives Heirs to regain control of intellectual property granted to third parties.

In a decision issued Wednesday, Judge John A. Kronstadt for Cher, allowing her to continue receiving payments. Since the dispute began, more than $400,000 has been withheld from the singer, the lawsuit states.

NBC News has reached out to attorneys for Cher and Mary Bono for comment.