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

Cher won her 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-winning artist sued Mary Bono in 2021, accusing her of withholding royalties from the Sonny & Cher catalog. The federal civil lawsuit says Cher and Sonny agreed to “an equal division of their community property” after their divorce in 1975, which included an equal split of music royalty payments. The couple formed the ’60s and ’70s pop duo Sonny & Cher and were married from 1967 to 1975.

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

In a ruling issued Wednesday, Judge John A. Kronstadt ruled in favor of Cher, allowing her to continue receiving payments. Since the litigation began, more than $400,000 has been withheld from the singer, the filing states.

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