In December, Cher filed for a temporary legal conservatorship of her son Elijah Blue Allman, claiming he was “currently unable to manage his assets due to severe mental health and substance abuse issues.” According to the petition, which was filed in Los Angeles and first covered by TMZ, Allman, who is 47, is allowed to access money from a trust set up by his late father, “but given his ongoing mental health and substance abuse issues, [Cher] is 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 is the singer’s second and youngest son; his father, Gregg Allman of the Allman Brothers Band, died in 2017.
The petition also accused Elijah Allman’s estranged wife, Marieangela King — from whom he filed for divorce in 2021 but is still legally married to — of “actively” keeping Allman “from getting clean and sober or receiving mental health treatment that he desperately needs.”
On January 5, shortly after Cher claimed Allman was missing, he appeared in court to fight the emergency conservatorship. He requested a new attorney and said he was on a path to sobriety. In court documents, Allman said he was reconciling with his wife — who accompanied him to the courtroom — and “under no circumstances” was he comfortable with having Cher as a conservator. “While I understand that my mother, the proposed conservator, believes she is looking out for my best interests and I appreciate her love and support, I do not need her unsolicited help or support at this time,” the documents read, per People. The judge denied Cher’s request for the conservatorship that day, saying Allman’s lawyers didn’t have enough time to prepare for the case, but it wouldn’t be the last time the the court would hear the issue.
In mid-January, TMZ reported that Allman told the court that he doesn’t need a conservatorship because he is now sober and paying his bills on time. Meanwhile, in court documents, King doubled down on her claim that Cher hired men to kidnap Allman in October, taking him to a “makeshift prison-type facility known as the ‘Baja Rehab’ where he was being held against his will.” King previously accused Cher of hiring men to kidnap Allman from a hotel room to prevent the couple from rekindling their relationship. The singer has denied the allegation, telling People, “I’m not suffering from any problem that millions of people in the United States aren’t. I’m a mother. This is my job — one way or another, to try to help my children. You do anything for your children.” According to TMZ, in her recent court filing King also claimed that Cher told her she is “manic depressive,” adding that Cher is “categorically unfit to serve” as Allman’s conservator.
On January 29, the judge once again denied Cher’s request for a temporary emergency conservatorship, saying Allman — who returned to court in person with King — proved that he has an apartment, has been managing his finances, and is remaining drug-free as confirmed by drug tests, per People. Cher’s attorneys, who were in the courtroom on her behalf while she joined on Zoom, said that in the past, Allman has been involuntarily detained for several 72-hour psychiatric holds to receive treatment for schizoaffective disorder, and claimed that “Cher was told by doctors that if she did not take this step as his mother that he will once again end up on the street.” The judge said that while he doesn’t question Cher’s concerns for her son, he doesn’t feel that her fears are enough evidence to warrant an emergency conservatorship.
Following the ruling, Allman’s attorney, Steven Bremer, told People: “Elijah is thrilled, as the Court saw, he does not need a temporary conservatorship. He’s grateful to his fans, friends and community for their support. He’s doing great.” Conservatorships, a controversial legal arrangement that grants an individual control over another person’s finances or life decisions, have come under scrutiny in recent years, largely thanks to the Free Britney movement. Though the emergency conservatorship request has been denied, Cher and Allman will return to court on March 6, when the judge will decide on the request for a permanent conservatorship.
This post has been updated.