United Kingdom, Dec. 3 -- Cher has won a long-running battle over royalties with Sonny Bono's widow.

The Believe hitmaker had sued Mary Bono and accused her of withholding payments from songs within the Sonny + Cher catalogue, and now, in a final judgement, US District Judge John A. Kronstadt has formally lodged his 2024 ruling that found Mary was not allowed to use the federal Copyright Act to reclaim the 50% share of Sonny's royalties which Cher had been granted in their 1978 divorce settlement.

Mary had sought to terminate the rights to songs including I Got You Babe and The Beat Goes On, along with Cher's 50% share of the musical recordings she made with Sonny, but the judge ruled California contract law, which oversaw the divorce a...