Cher plans conservatorship of son’s finances after kidnapping ‘rumour’
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Cher is attempting to take control of her son’s finances amid fears over his alleged drug abuse and mental health.
The Californian singer and songwriter, 77, has applied to a court for “conservatorship” over Elijah Allman, 47, who she says is “substantially unable to manage his financial resources”.
Legal documents seen by US media claim that a conservator is “urgently needed” to protect Mr Allman’s property ahead of receiving a trust due to be released to him at the end of this year.
It said Cher was “concerned that any funds distributed to Elijah will immediately be spent on drugs, leaving Elijah with no assets to provide for himself, and putting Elijah’s life at risk”.
A conservatorship is often granted for individuals who are unable to make their own decisions, such as those suffering from dementia or other mental illnesses.
It can be used to manage people’s financial affairs and assets, and its controversial use in the case of Britney Spears’ and her father Jamie Spears recently triggered an angry backlash from fans.
Cher’s attempt to take control of her son’s business dealings, which include royalties from his late musician father, comes after she was accused of “kidnapping” him by his estranged wife.
Mr Allman, Cher’s son with the rock musician Gregg Allman, first began using drugs aged 11 and has spoken openly about his heroin addiction.
The report, filed at Los Angeles Superior Court on Wednesday, said that Cher has “worked tirelessly to get Elijah into treatment and get him the help he needs”.
“[Cher] loves Elijah immensely and has always acted with his best interests in mind,” the filing added.
It said that she has been “unable to discuss his preferences concerning the appointment of a temporary conservator” because of his “current mental and physical health issues”.
US media has reported that a hearing for a temporary order will be held Jan 5, with a hearing on a permanent order set for March 6.
New York kidnapping allegations
Cher recently denied accusations that she hired four men to kidnap Mr Allman from a hotel in New York City.
Mr Allman’s wife, Marieangela King, alleged that the incident occurred when the pair were attempting to reconcile, claiming that the men removed him from a hotel in 2022.
“After spending these 12 days together in NY… four people came to our hotel room and removed [Mr Allman] from our room,” Ms King wrote in a divorce court filing that emerged three months ago.
She added that she was “told by one of the four men who took him that they were hired by [Mr Allman’s] mother”.
Cher said that the claims were a “rumour” in an interview with People magazine.
“You never stop being a mom – you go to the end, you go to the mattresses when you’re trying to save your children. But I didn’t do it. And if I did it, I wouldn’t care to tell you,” she later told The New York Post.
Mr Allman recently shared a post on Instagram with the hashtag “#ImprisonmentViaConservatorship”.
Cher spoke of Mr Allman’s addiction issues in the People interview.
“I’m not suffering from any problem that millions of people in the United States aren’t,” she said.
“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.”
Controversy over the legal measure
Other celebrities have also been subject to controversial conservatorships.
In 2021, Spears was released from her 13-year conservatorship, describing the end of the legal arrangement as the “best day ever”.
Amanda Bynes was placed under a conservatorship after exhibiting erratic behaviour and being admitted to hospital for mental health issues in 2013.
Lindsay Lohan’s mother was appointed as her conservator in 2012, after the actress had a number of legal and personal issues related to substance abuse.
In 1990, the former child television star Gary Coleman successfully fought off his mother’s attempt to appoint a conservator.
She claimed that he had been brainwashed by his former chauffeur, but the judge ruled that the 21-year-old actor’s mental state “did not come close” to meeting the threshold for somebody to be appointed to care for him and his $7 million (£5.51 million) fortune.
There has been criticism of the legal mechanisms surrounding conservatorship arrangements and their potential for abuse.
