Cher Denied Conservatorship Over Her Son Elijah Blue Allman

Cher's request for her 47-year-old son Elijah Blue Allman to be put into a court conservatorship has been rejected. Monday, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Jessica A. Uzcategui denied the Oscar- and Grammy-winning performer's petition claiming that her son's finances needed to urgently be protected due to his struggles with mental health and substance abuse.

Uzcategui will reportedly still consider a larger more long-term conservatorship at a hearing in March, according to the Associated Press. Allman, who is the son of Cher and late rocker Gregg Allman, attended the courtroom with his attorneys, who acknowledged that their client has struggled in the past but is now getting treatment and reconciling with his previously estranged wife, Marieangela King. "We are thrilled that the court saw that he does not need a temporary conservatorship," Allman's lawyer said outside the courthouse, AP reports. "He's got a lot of support, he's doing great." 

Cher's attorneys, meanwhile, argued that Allman is being supported by people who do not acknowledge the depth of his issues and that his current apparent sobriety and mental health status do not take into account his bipolar disorder and history of being homeless. They continued that large payouts from Allman's late father's trust could lead to dangerous drug use. Cher's attorneys also noted that the "Believe" singer was not necessarily seeking direct control over her son's money and would be happy to have a court-appointed professional take control.

Cher previously spoke about her relationship with her son in October after being accused by Allman's estranged wife of having hired four men to remove him from a New York City hotel room in an apparent intervention in November 2022. Cher told PEOPLE King's claim was "not true" but did acknowledge her son's struggles with addiction.

"I'm not suffering from any problem that millions of people in the United States aren't," Cher said 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. 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."