Cher rejects emergency bid to take control of son’s finances

Vince Bucci/Newsmaker

On Friday, a judge denied a request for emergency temporary conservatorship for Cher’s son Elijah Blue Allman after Allman appeared in a Los Angeles courtroom to oppose the move. The judge decided he needed more time to consider his mother’s argument that Allman’s life was in danger due to “serious mental health and substance abuse issues.” The next hearing was scheduled for January 29th.

Before sentencing, Mr. Scheer’s lawyer argued in court that a swift order was urgently needed “to protect Mr. Allman.” The attorney said the trustee was trying to distribute money to Mr. Allman from the estate of his late father, famous musician Gregg Allman. In his submission, Mr Scheer expressed concern that the money would be “immediately spent” on drugs.

“I am not persuaded,” Judge Jessica A. Uzcategui responded Friday. Uzcategui said Cher’s lawyer “refused” to file the case Thursday with Elijah’s personally chosen lawyer, instead working only with a public defender, but Cher’s private lawyer dismissed him during the hearing. He said he was replaced by a privately hired lawyer.

After the ruling, Cher’s lawyers asked the judge to note in the record that the court will address the underlying merits of the “Believe” singer’s petition at the next hearing. “(We’re) hoping that’s enough for the trustee to withhold the distribution and wait,” attorney Gabriel Vidal said.

“We will address the merits of the temporary guardianship application on January 29,” Uzcategui added. Ilya’s lawyer asked the court to postpone a permanent conservatorship hearing, also scheduled for March, but the judge denied the request.

In statements filed Thursday and Friday, Elijah said he has been “sober and sober” for three months and that rushing the legal process would violate his due process rights.

“Like many people, I have struggled with addiction and spent money in ways that were not always the most responsible. However, I am currently undergoing treatment with Dr. Howard Samuels. “I have dismissed my petition for dissolution of our marriage, and now that I have found a path to sobriety, I am making peace with my wife so that we can repair our relationship,” he said in Thursday’s filing. Ta.

“Recently I was staying with my wife and prior to that we were in Mexico for about two months. We knew that he had been in Mexico earlier,” he said in a statement filed Friday.

Allman, 47, acknowledged receiving a copy of his mother’s petition via email on Dec. 31, but denied receiving any supporting documents explaining his mother’s side. “Thus, while I am not aware of any ‘good cause’ claims that courts are expected to rely on in determining temporary conservatorship claims, I naturally oppose them,” he wrote.

In her petition, Cher said she just wanted to protect her son. Her Dec. 27 application states, “Her petitioner loves Elijah very much and she has always acted with his best interests in mind.” According to documents, Elijah receives regular distributions from a trust established by his father. Scheer estimates he receives $120,000 a year. She said: “Given his ongoing mental health and substance abuse issues, the complainant believes that the funds distributed to Elijah were quickly spent on drugs, leaving Elijah with no assets to support himself and putting Elijah’s life in jeopardy.” I am concerned about being exposed,” the application states.

On Thursday, Cher asked the court to waive the five-day service requirement, fearing that if he received any more money, the situation would be worse. Another attorney argued that Elijah has “severe mental health and substance abuse issues” and is a danger to himself.

“Therefore, there is an urgent need to appoint a temporary conservator to receive distributions to Elijah and to hold and administer such funds for his benefit,” Thursday’s filing said. It is written in Cher’s legal team, Loeb & Loeb, is the same firm that represented Britney Spears during her conservatorship.

Elijah declined to be interviewed by reporters after Friday’s hearing. He was accompanied by his estranged wife, Marie Angela King. Elijah previously filed for divorce from Mr. King in 2021, but Mr. King filed for dismissal of her petition on Tuesday.

Cher is seeking to become Elijah’s sole financial guardian, and King is considered her husband’s conservator because “their fractious relationship has been marked by cycles of drug addiction and mental health crises.” They argue that it should not be done.

The conservatorship battle follows reports last year that Mr. Cher hired four men to kidnap his son to prevent him from reconciling with Mr. King.Cher denied this rumor in his statement peoplecalling it “not true.”