Cher legal news brief: The icon says it's 'not true' that she hired men to kidnap her troubled son amid his divorce

Cher denies that she hired four men to kidnap her troubled son, Elijah Blue Allman.

"That rumor is not true," the iconic performer told People magazine.

Allman's estranged wife, Marie Angela King, made the accusation as part of their ongoing divorce case, court records show.

Here's what's going on.

Allman filed for divorce in 2021

Cher's son is the one who first filed to end the marriage; however Allman, 47, and King listed different dates of separation in documents. He claimed they split in 2020 while she alleged they didn't break up until the following year. They attempted to reconcile 10 months ago.

King claimed Cher sent men to grab Allman in an effort to stop them from getting back together

On Nov. 30, King and Allman were in New York for their anniversary when four "people came to our hotel room and removed" him, per the documents viewed by Yahoo Entertainment. King said she and Allman spent 12 days together leading up to the incident.

"I am currently unaware of my husband's wellbeing or whereabouts," she wrote in documents filed on Dec. 5, 2022. "I am very concerned and worried about him. I was told by one of the four men who took him that they were hired by [Allman's] mother. Since August 2022, I have been told that I am not allowed to see or speak to Petitioner who is currently in lockdown at a treatment facility that is undisclosed to me. I am also told [Allman] has no access to his phone."

Allman — the son of 77-year-old Cher and rocker Gregg Allman — has struggled with substance abuse issues.

"I understand his family's efforts to make sure he is well, and I want what is best for my husband," King added in her declaration.

Why is this making news now?

Although the documents were filed nine months ago, they've recently been unearthed as part of the estranged couple's divorce case. The next court date is scheduled for Oct. 27 in Los Angeles.

Cher allegedly removed King from the couple's house

While Allman received medical care, King claimed Cher kicked her out of the residence she shared with her estranged husband.

"In my husband's absence, I was asked to leave our family home by [Cher.] I did so on the belief that my [spousal] support payments would be timely, and I would be able to afford housing," King explained in documents. She alleged she wasn't allowed to "retrieve all of my belongings" and wasn't given access to "inventory our assets" that need to be evaluated "before we are able to set trial or a come to a settlement."

King claimed in documents she received "sporadic" and "insufficient" spousal support payments that made it difficult to litigate the divorce.

"I had lost both my housing and health care and had to leave the country to stay with relatives for a while. Inconsistent support payments have made progressing my case very difficult if not impossible," she stated.

Has Cher said anything?

At first, no. Then, two weeks after the claims first surfaced, Cher broke her silence on Oct. 11, denying the "rumor" in an interview with People. She declined further comment, but said that the private family matter is related to her son's addiction issues.

"I'm not suffering from any problem that millions of people in the United States aren't," Cher said her son's long struggle with substance abuse. "I'm a mother. This is my job — one way or another, to try to help my children. You do anything for your children. 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."

She made it clear that she's made some missteps along the way, saying, "I could fill a . . . I don't even know, something gigantic with what I don't know [about parenting]. I just keep trying."

Cher did not attend Allman and King's 2013 wedding

Allman and King eloped, and in an interview shortly after their nuptials, he claimed Cher didn't acknowledge or congratulate them on their engagement.

"I wasn't going to wait for anyone's approval and congratulations just like I've never waited for any of that my whole life. The way I eloped with my wife is the same way I've done everything I've ever done. I don’t know any other way and we knew it was the right time," he told The Daily Mail in 2014.

"I've always been the black sheep of my family. The reason being we just have different value systems and we just have a different mentality and that clashes a lot. We have lots of ups and downs and right now isn't the best time," he continued. "Had we been getting on a little bit better along maybe it would have been different."

Allman claimed his mother did not react to news of their wedding: "Crickets."

Where is Allman now?

In September, The Daily Mail published photos of Allman at the Chateau Marmont Hotel in L.A., where he was reportedly living. The outlet alleged he recently collapsed on property and is currently in rehab. Allman previously admitted to starting drugs at age 11 and has battled heroin addiction.

– Suzy Byrne contributed to this report

This story was originally published on Sept. 27, 2023 at 2:01 p.m. ET and has been updated with new information.