Cher loses request for temporary conservatorship of adult son

LOS ANGELES (CN) — Cher lost her bid to be appointed as temporary conservator of the estate of her 47-year-old son who she claims isn’t capable of handling his finances because of mental health and substance abuse problems.

California Superior Court Judge Jessica Uzcategui said at a hearing Monday that, at this early stage in the proceedings, there wasn’t enough evidence to support Cher’s contention that Elijah Blue Allman lacks capacity to handle his own affairs.

The 77-year-old singer and actress will be able to bring a more substantiated argument at a March 6 hearing.

“I don’t question the motivation behind Cher’s request as driven by concern for her son,” the judge said. “But fears are not evidence on which the court can make a finding.”

The judge urged both sides to try to resolve their standoff through mediation.

Cher appeared remotely by video at the hearing in downtown Los Angeles, whereas Allman appeared in court. Neither participated in the argument.

In her petition filed late December, Cher said her son is entitled to regular distributions from a trust established by his father, late rock musician Gregg Allman. But given his ongoing mental health and substance abuse issues, she said, she is concerned that any funds distributed to him will immediately be spent on drugs, leaving him with no assets to provide for himself, and putting his life at risk.

At Monday’s hearing, Cher’s attorney Gabrielle Vidal went into some detail about Allman’s mental issues, which she says are a separate issue from his drug use. According to Vidal, Allman suffers from schizoaffective disorder, which leads to periods of psychosis during which he’s prone to self-medicate with drugs.

Although Allman is clean and sober now, the attorney said, there was concern that when he gets his next distribution from the trust he could spend the money on drugs and put his life at risk.

Vidal added that Cher wasn’t interested in controlling her son or his money and would be open to have the judge appoint a neutral party as conservator of his estate.

“Elijah is thrilled that the court saw that he doesn’t need a temporary conservator,” his attorney Steven Brumer said after the hearing. “He’s doing great and we look forward to March.”

Allman, who has in the past admitted that he has struggled with drug addiction for decades, was joined at the hearing by his wife Marieangela King. Though he filed for divorce in 2021, Allman recently filed a request to dismiss the proceedings, indicating the two are now back together.

King and Cher have long been at odds. King has claimed in a court filing that in 2022, Cher hired four men to remove Elijah from a hotel room he was sharing with King in order to place him into a drug treatment facility.

Cher wrote in her petition, “Until recently, Elijah and Angela were estranged and their tumultuous relationship has been marked by a cycle of drug addiction and mental health crises. Angela is not supportive of Elijah’s recovery and Angela actively works to keep Elijah from getting clean and sober or receiving mental health treatment that he desperately needs.”

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