After a long legal battle that spanned years, Cher has emerged victorious when it comes to royalties from her former music partner and ex-husband, Sonny Bono. She and Bono divorced in 1975, and part of that agreement stated that Cher would receive his royalties if he passed away. Bono died in 1998 and Cher had been getting his royalties ever since. However, Bono’s widow, Mary, has made attempts to have Cher’s rights to the royalties terminated.

A judge has now ruled that Cher can keep the royalties because they were part of her legal divorce agreement, which was binding. This not only protects and affirms Cher’s legal rights, but it also reaffirms the financial interests she has held onto from the early days of her career. The royalties are for hits linked to Sonny and Cher, such as “The Beat Goes On” and “I Got You Babe.” These songs are a part of musical history and also significant revenue generators.

Contractual agreements are serious and binding, and the ruling by the judge reinforced the importance of understanding these agreements, especially in the early years of a growing career. The decision also helps set a precedent for divorcing spouses and intellectual property cases, because remarriage and other factors can cause increased stress and tension long after the original divorce agreement was created.

Cher’s legal win reminds musicians and others in the entertainment sector that there are long-term consequences of divorce agreements that tie up royalties and intellectual property rights with ex-spouses. Even though Bono moved on and remarried, his widow Mary isn’t entitled to anything that Bono promised to Cher in their divorce papers. That leaves Mary unable to collect royalties from her husband’s past success because those royalties belong to his second wife, Cher.

Mary was Bono’s fourth wife, and the couple were still married at the time of his death. Despite that, the court was very clear on the binding nature of his divorce agreement with Cher, and the legal requirement to honor that agreement. Cher can now put the matter behind her, and focus on moving forward.

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