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Cher won the central royalty dispute against Sonny Bono’s widow, Mary Bono. In a final judgment filed November 26, 2025, a federal judge ruled that a 2016 copyright-termination notice did not affect Cher’s royalty rights under her 1978 marriage settlement agreement. The court awarded Cher $187,534.91 in composition royalties Mary Bono received and retained, plus prejudgment interest. The judgment also preserved Cher’s 50% interest in covered composition and record royalties and her approval rights over certain third-party contracts.
What Cher won
The U.S. District Court for the Central District of California enforced specific rights in the 1978 Marriage Settlement Agreement (MSA) between Cher and Sonny Bono. The judgment says Cher owns an undivided 50% interest in covered composition and record royalties in perpetuity. It also recognizes her approval rights over third-party contracts concerning the musical compositions. The judgment does not transfer the entire catalog to Cher.
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The agreement’s covered composition royalties are receipts after July 14, 1978, tied to musical compositions written or acquired before February 1, 1974, subject to the agreement’s stated costs and administration fee. The record-royalty provision covers half of receipts under specified recording contracts entered before the parties’ separation. The judgment also addresses composition royalties due on or after July 1, 2022, regardless of when they are paid. Read the final judgment.
The monetary award
The court awarded Cher $187,534.91 in composition royalties Mary Bono received and retained in breach of the MSA. It ordered prejudgment interest at 7% per year from February 1, 2022, through entry of judgment. That award is for the identified composition royalties; it is not a valuation of the music catalog or a total for every royalty category.
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Who selects the royalty administrator
The judgment did not give Cher sole authority to choose the administrator. Subject to the rights of Sonny Bono’s four children, Mary Bono may select the royalty administrator, including potentially an entity controlled by the heirs. Cher may raise reasonable objections to the contract’s terms, such as its administration fee, and to the administrator’s credentials and qualifications.
Why the 2016 copyright notice did not override the agreement
Mary Bono and others served a notice under Section 304(c) of the Copyright Act on September 30, 2016. The court ruled that the notice did not terminate or otherwise affect the MSA rights at issue.
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The key date was the agreement itself: Cher and Sonny signed the MSA on August 10, 1978. In its May 29, 2024 order, the court explained that Section 304(c) applies to a transfer or license of a renewal copyright, or a right under it, executed before January 1, 1978. Because the relevant agreement was executed after that cutoff, the notice did not undo the rights Cher received under it. This is the court’s ruling about this agreement and notice, not a general rule that copyright termination notices cannot affect music royalties. The 2024 order and case filings are available on the court docket.
Key dates and what happened next
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| August 10, 1978 | Cher and Sonny Bono executed the MSA. |
| September 30, 2016 | Mary Bono and others served the Section 304(c) notice at issue. |
| October 13, 2021 | Cher filed the federal action, according to the district court’s 2024 order. |
| May 29, 2024 | The district court granted declaratory relief and part of Cher’s breach-of-contract claim; damages issues remained unresolved at that stage. |
| November 26, 2025 | The court entered final judgment, preserved Cher’s covered MSA rights, and awarded $187,534.91 plus interest. |
| December 29, 2025 | Mary Bono’s appeal was docketed in the Ninth Circuit as No. 25-8085. |
| April 29, 2026 | The available docket listing showed administrative closure extended through July 30, 2026, with a mediation conference scheduled for July 23. The listing was last retrieved April 29 and does not establish the appeal’s later status. |
| July 20, 2026 | Digital Music News reported that the judge denied Cher’s request for Mary Bono to reimburse more than $1 million in attorneys’ fees. That fee ruling concerns litigation expenses, not the underlying royalty rights. Read the report. |
The Ninth Circuit docket listing available through April 29, 2026, is here. It does not establish whether the appeal was later resolved.
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What the ruling does—and does not—settle
The district court’s final judgment is a win for Cher on the central question of whether the 2016 notice affected the MSA rights identified in the case. It also specifies the royalty award, interest period, and administrator-selection arrangement. The appeal is a separate proceeding, and the docket information available through April 29, 2026, does not show its ultimate outcome. The later denial of the fee request did not reverse the royalty judgment.
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