Cher Finally Drops Bid For Conservatorship Of Son Elijah, Focuses On 'Rebuilding' Family Bond
Cher has withdrawn her bid for conservatorship of her son, Elijah Blue Allman, ending a lengthy and complicated nine-month legal battle.
The legendary singer and actress filed for conservatorship over Elijah in December 2023 over alleged substance abuse issues as well as an inability to "manage his own financial resources."
Cher is reportedly letting go to focus on "rebuilding" their strained family bond after her son's wife, Marieangela King, said the singer was "manic depressive" and "categorically unfit" to take charge of her husband's finances.
Cher Ends Fight For Conservatorship Of Her Son Elijah Blue Allman
According to People Magazine, the "If I Could Turn Back Time" singer will no longer seek conservatorship of her son Elijah.
The move would seemingly mark a turning point in their relationship, as Cher reportedly shifts her focus towards healing and strengthening their family bond.
Elijah's attorneys, Avi Levy and Steven Brumer of Cage & Miles, LLP, shared a statement with the news outlet, stating that "the team successfully defended Elijah, resulting in Cher voluntarily dismissing her petition."
"This outcome allows the parties to focus on healing and rebuilding their family bond, a process that began during mediation and continues today," they added.
Cher and Elijah were both absent in court on Friday. However, according to Rolling Stone, the singer's lawyer, Gabrielle Vidal, said in court that she and her son "privately resolved this matter" via mediation, and she opted to withdraw her petition without prejudice.
Cher Filed For Conservatorship Over Elijah Blue Allman
Cher filed for conservatorship over Elijah in December 2023 for alleged substance abuse as well as his inability to manage his money.
Court documents filed in the Los Angeles Superior Court and obtained by The Blast showed that she claimed a conservator was "urgently needed ... to protect Elijah's property from loss or injury" due to him being "currently unable to manage his assets due to severe mental health and substance abuse issues."
She also claimed that his wife, Marieangela King, wasn't fit to be his conservator because "their tumultuous relationship has been marked by a cycle of drug addiction and mental health crises."
Cher further argued in her filing that "any funds distributed to Elijah will be immediately spent on drugs, leaving Elijah with no assets to provide for himself and putting Elijah's life at risk."
Elijah Blue Allman Fired Back At His Mother's Claims
Elijah filed a response in January objecting to his mother's claims. As reported by The Blast, he admitted that he had "struggled with addiction and spent money in ways that have not always been the most responsible," but stated that he is now "clean and sober" and "a conservatorship of the estate is not necessary at this time."
The Deadsy lead vocalist also claimed that his mother was "unfit" to serve as his conservator. Later that month, his wife, King, said that her mother-in-law was "manic depressive" and "categorically unfit" to be his conservator.
"[Cher] is not capable of managing her own affairs — let alone those of Elijah," she wrote in court documents. "To my knowledge, the petitioner has never known the security code to her own home, does not drive, does not prepare her own meals or dress herself, and has admitted to me that she is a 'manic depressive.'"
Elijah and King tied the knot in 2013, but their relationship seemingly hit the rocks when he filed for divorce in November 2021. He later filed to dismiss his pending divorce after his mom filed for conservatorship.
His dismissal was granted "without prejudice," meaning he could still refile again.
Elijah Blue Allman Called His Mother's Conservatorship Petition 'Misguided'
In another court filing obtained by The Blast, Cher's son noted that his mother's intentions were not "nefarious" and that she is too wealthy to have any interest in the "comparatively small sums" he receives from his late father, Greg Allman's trust. However, he called the "Believe" singer "misguided."
Elijah said, "I know that my mother's actions are meant to help me but I do not need this help. My mother seems to believe that controlling these quarterly trust distributions will prevent me from engaging in self-destructive behaviors. She is misguided."
He added, "In the event that I am inclined to engage in self-destructive behaviors, I do not need my trust distributions to do so; the world is full of addicts and mentally ill persons who do not have a trust distribution from which to draw. The only person who can save me from my demons is me – and I'm doing just that."
Cher Denied 'Kidnapping' Her Son Elijah Blue Allman
In a court declaration in December 2022, King alleged that Cher hired men to "kidnap" Elijah from a New York hotel room they were staying in to "work on their marriage" in a bid to get him to a clinic to get him sober.
However, Cher would later deny it, telling People "that rumor is not true," but that "you do anything for your children."
"I'm not suffering from any problem that millions of people in the United States aren't," Cher said of Elijah's issues at the time. "I'm a mother. This is my job — one way or another, to try to help my children. You do anything for your children."
She added, "Whenever you can help them, you just do it because that's what being a mother is. But it's joy, even with heartache — mostly, when you think of your children, you just smile and you love them, and you try to be there for them."