Mary Bono has filed a motion to dismiss Cher's $1 million lawsuit over copyright-termination notices, claiming it is "groundless" under federal Copyright Act provisions.

The dispute centers on a 1978 agreement following Cher and Sonny Bono's 1975 divorce, where Sonny granted Cher 50% of their musical composition royalties, record royalties, and other assets. In September 2021, the Bono Collection Trust issued a Section 304(c) termination notice that would affect these royalty rights.

Key points from Mary Bono's dismissal motion:

• The lawsuit is preempted by the federal Copyright Act
• Termination rights belong to statutory beneficiaries (surviving children and widow/widower)
• The original marriage settlement agreement cannot override statutory termination rights
• Sonny could not have signed away his heirs' future termination rights

The motion argues that while Sonny could grant Cher current rights and royalty interests, he couldn't legally prevent future termination rights belonging to his heirs. The memorandum emphasizes that Congress specifically limited an author's ability to sign away termination rights.

Important legal context: Mary Bono cannot unilaterally terminate the agreement, as she needs cooperation from Sonny's son Chaz, since she doesn't own more than 50% of the termination interest.

The case continues under docket number 2:21-cv-08157, with Cher yet to publicly respond to the dismissal motion.

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