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Cher Wins Royalties Lawsuit Against Sonny Bono’s Widow Over Decades-Old Divorce Settlement

Cher won her lawsuit against Sonny Bono’s widow over royalties to “I Got You Babe” and other hits under her divorce settlement with her late husband.

Sonny and Cher started performing together in 1964 and married in 1967, rising to fame with major hits like “I Got You Babe,” “The Beat Goes On” and “Baby Don’t Go.” But the pair split up in 1974, finalizing their divorce with a settlement in 1978. Under that deal, Sonny retained ownership of their music rights, but Cher was granted a half-share of all publishing royalties in perpetuity. Mary fired back a few months later, claiming that termination rights could not be waived by contract and that Cher’s arguments would “subvert” the purpose of the law.

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