Cher has been ordered to pay more than $1 million in her own legal fees after winning a royalties dispute against Sonny Bono's widow, Mary Bono, in a long-running court battle over music rights.
Court documents obtained by PEOPLE show a federal judge has ordered The Mask actress to pay more than $1 million in legal fees she incurred while successfully pursuing her royalties case against Sonny Bono's widow.
Sonny & Cher, the iconic music duo who were married from 1964 to 1975, became the focus of a legal dispute in October 2021 when Cher filed a lawsuit against Mary Bono seeking $1 million in damages.
Cher argued that her 1978 divorce agreement entitled her to 50% of the royalties and accused Mary Bono of trying to terminate those rights under copyright law.
In May 2024, a judge ruled in Cher's favour, awarding her more than $418,000 in unpaid royalties.
In January 2026, Cher requested $1,023,605.30 in attorney’s fees, with her attorneys writing that she “incurred attorney’s fees in successfully prosecuting this action,” per court documents obtained by the outlet.
“Apportionment of Cher’s fees is unnecessary because her successful breach of contract claim and Defendant’s unsuccessful second counterclaim share a common core of facts with Cher’s declaratory relief claim, and because any fees incurred in relation to Defendant’s partially successful first counterclaim were de minimis,” her attorneys continued.
A judge denied Cher's motion on July 17, ruling that the dispute concerned contracts rather than federal copyright law, according to court documents.
Another estimated $10,000 was expected to be spent on Cher's legal representation.
Sonny and Cher career
Beyond their music career, Sonny and Cher co-hosted The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour in the 1970s.
Sonny later served as mayor of Palm Springs and as a Republican congressman until his death.
He and Cher shared one child, Chaz Bono, while Sonny also had three children from his other marriages.
