Cher filed a second conservatorship petition for her son Elijah Blue Allman in April 2026 following a series of arrests and escalating legal troubles.
News broke on April 17, 2026, that Cher filed for guardianship in Los Angeles Superior Court earlier that week. The singer requested that fiduciary Jason Rubin take charge of her son’s finances. (Cher shares Elijah with late Gregg Allman, as well as son Chaz with late Sonny Bono.)
This is the second time Cher has sought a conservatorship of Elijah’s estate, as court documents claim that the pop icon said Elijah’s life “has significantly deteriorated” since Cher’s 2023 conservatorship petition in 2023, which was ultimately denied.
Keep scrolling to learn more about Cher’s legal battle:
Rachael Bennett, a certified family law specialist and senior attorney at Sullivan Law & Associates who is not affiliated with the case, broke down the legal landscape for Us Weekly.
“To get a conservatorship over an adult child in California, Cher will have to meet a pretty high legal standard,” Bennett told Us in April 2026. “She has to prove by clear and convincing evidence that Elijah is either unable to provide for his basic personal needs, things like food, clothing, shelter or medical care, or that he’s totally unable to manage his finances.”
The legal expert added, “Even if she proves that, the court still has to find that there’s no less restrictive alternative, like a trust or a power of attorney or some kind of other support system.”
Why Cher’s 1st Petition Was DeniedBennett explained to Us that Cher’s 2023 conservatorship attempt fell short of being granted.
“Her earlier petition was denied because the judge didn’t see enough evidence of incapacity, basically saying that the petition was premature,” Bennett told Us in April 2026. “At that time, Elijah pushed back with evidence that he was sober, that he was receiving treatment and that he was managing his own financial affairs. The court felt that Cher’s arguments leaned too heavily on fears about what might happen.”
According to Bennett, Cher was likely “trying to be proactive” in her motion.
“She anticipated that there would be problems down the road,” the attorney said. “The court basically told her that she had to wait until Elijah’s life basically deteriorated before it would step in.”
Inside Elijah Blue Allman’s Recent Legal TroublesCher’s 2026 court filing alleged that Elijah was currently confined to a psychiatric hospital in New Hampshire in an effort to restore his competency before standing trial on criminal charges. He was arrested in New Hampshire earlier that year on two separate occasions.
His first arrest, for assault and criminal trespassing, occurred in February 2026 after he allegedly caused a disturbance at a prep school in the state. The Concord Police Department told Us that an unwelcome individual was on campus and behaving belligerently. Reports also indicated he faced two counts of assault, along with single counts of criminal trespass, criminal threatening and disorderly conduct in connection with the incident.
Elijah waived his arraignment on charges related to the incident and a trial is scheduled to begin June 16, 2026.
Elijah’s second arrest took place in March 2026, when he was accused of breaking into a home in Windham, New Hampshire. The town’s police department confirmed to Us that he was charged with burglary, two counts of criminal mischief and breach of bail.
Per Cher’s court filing, her son’s arrests add to his “current set of problems” that allegedly demonstrate how he is unable to handle his own financial affairs. She further claimed that Elijah spends money “immediately” and “almost exclusively on drugs, expensive hotels and limousine transportation.”
“If this conservatorship is approved, it would give significant, but also very targeted control, mainly over just his finances,” legal expert Bennett told Us in April 2026. “Cher’s asking for a conservatorship of the estate, which means a court-appointed professional fiduciary would step in and they would manage Elijah’s money. So in practical terms, he would lose the ability to just freely access or manage his own money, and he probably would be put on a controlled allowance system of some sort.”
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People reported that a judge denied Cher’s motion on April 24, 2026, finding that there was not “sufficient urgency” to grant the request.
Us Weekly has reached out to Cher’s team for comment.
This story was compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists.
