A judge has denied Cher’s bid to have a conservator placed in charge of her son Elijah’s finances.
Elijah Blue Allman, 49, is Cher’s son with the her late second husband, the rock singer-songwriter Gregg Allman, and earlier this month she submitted an application to Los Angeles Superior Court to file for conservatorship, with the case stating that Allman “has significantly deteriorated” since 2023.
“The proposed conservatee is currently in custody in the State of New Hampshire in a locked psychiatric hospital in an attempt to restore him to competency to face criminal charges in two cases,” the filing stated.
Now, a Los Angeles County judge has denied the request, saying she did not see the urgency of the claim and confirming she would reconsider the matter at a second hearing in June.
“I certainly understand the concerns of Mr. Allman’s friends and family regarding his behaviour,” Judge Jessica A. Uzcategui said. “But those concerns do not necessarily equate to a finding that the proposed conservatee lacks capacity or that a probate conservatorship is appropriate. I am going to deny the temporary conservatorship without prejudice.”
Allman appeared at the hearing remotely from his New Hampshire hospital, speaking only to ask for his attorney to represent him and to thank the judge for her ruling.
Allman was reportedly arrested for causing a disturbance at a private school on March 1, while two days later he was arrested again after allegedly breaking into a home in Windham, New Hampshire (via The Independent).
Gregg Allman died in 2017 and Elijah reportedly receives an annual allowance of $120,000 (£89,000) per year from his trust. Cher has in the past claimed that the money is spent primarily on “drugs, expensive hotels and limousine transportation”.
Cher first applied for a conservatorship in 2023, claiming he was “substantially unable to manage his financial resources” due to “severe mental health and substance abuse issues”.
Documents filed by Cher’s lawyers in 2023 suggested that she was concerned 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”.
Allman later filed an objection to his mother’s request, stating that he was not in need of a conservatorship and claiming that Cher would be “unfit to serve”. The family then reached a private settlement in 2024, having paused court proceedings to attempt to resolve the matter privately.
In other Cher news, she was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Grammys in February, and she accidentally awarded the Record Of The Year prize to instead of Kendrick Lamar and SZA.