Cher and her daughter-in-law are asking courts to trust very different people with responsibility for Elijah Blue Allman.

On one side is Cher, who supports having two of Elijah’s half-brothers — Chaz Bono and Devon Allman — appointed as guardians in an ongoing New Hampshire proceeding.

On the other is Elijah’s wife, Marieangela King-Allman, who argues that she should be considered for the role instead and objects to an arrangement she believes would effectively allow Cher to choose who controls important decisions involving her husband.

The disagreement has created another chapter in a legal battle surrounding Elijah, the 50-year-old son of Cher and the late Gregg Allman.

But beneath the multiple court filings and proceedings is one relatively simple dispute:

Who should be trusted to protect Elijah’s interests?

Cher says his brothers are the better choice.

King-Allman says allowing Cher to determine that choice ignores Elijah’s own history of resisting his mother’s attempts to obtain legal control over his affairs.

And both sides are giving judges very different explanations for why their preferred solution should prevail.

Cher Is Supporting Chaz Bono and Devon Allman

Cher’s latest position was laid out in supplemental papers filed Aug. 28 in Los Angeles.

Those filings are connected to her California conservatorship case, but another proceeding involving Elijah is unfolding in New Hampshire.

In that guardianship matter, Chaz Bono and Devon Allman have sought appointment as Elijah’s guardians.

Both are Elijah’s half-brothers.

Chaz is Cher’s son with Sonny Bono, while Devon is one of Gregg Allman’s sons.

Cher supports their appointment and argues that they would provide the protection Elijah currently needs. Her filing also strongly opposes the possibility of King-Allman taking that responsibility herself.

The dispute is important enough that Cher has indicated she may reconsider whether her separate California conservatorship case is necessary at all.

According to her attorneys, if the New Hampshire guardianship becomes sufficiently permanent and protective, Cher may dismiss the California action.

In other words, the New Hampshire decision could potentially resolve part of the broader family legal battle.

But only if Cher is comfortable with who is appointed.

Why Cher Does Not Want Elijah’s Wife in the Role

Cher’s Aug. 28 filing offers a much more pointed explanation for why she opposes King-Allman.

Her attorneys argue that Elijah and King-Allman had experienced significant marital problems and had been estranged during important periods when Elijah was struggling.

The filing also alleges that people close to Elijah previously asked King-Allman to become more involved in helping him and that, in Cher’s view, she failed to provide meaningful assistance.

Cher’s lawyers go further, questioning King-Allman’s motives for seeking a fiduciary role now and alleging that financial considerations may be influencing her decision.

Those statements are allegations made by Cher’s side in an unresolved legal proceeding; they are not findings that a court has established as fact. King-Allman has presented a sharply different account.

Cher’s broader argument is that whatever happens to Elijah’s marriage in the future should be separate from the question of who is appropriate to exercise court-appointed responsibility over him now.

Her attorneys contend that King-Allman should not be selected for that role.

King-Allman believes the opposite.

Elijah’s Wife Says Cher Should Not Get to Pick

King-Allman’s court papers focus heavily on Elijah’s autonomy and his previous opposition to his mother’s conservatorship efforts.

She argues that Elijah has been estranged from some relatives and that his family has repeatedly sought legal restrictions involving him.

From her perspective, appointing guardians supported and effectively selected by Cher risks reproducing the same problem.

King-Allman has said Elijah previously resisted Cher becoming his conservator and argues that having his mother now help determine another person who will exercise authority over him could be viewed by Elijah as punishment rather than support.

She also says such a move could interfere with his recovery rather than help it.

As an alternative, King-Allman has offered herself for consideration.

That makes the conflict more complicated than simply Cher versus her daughter-in-law.

Both women claim to be advocating for what will best help Elijah.

But their definitions of protection are fundamentally different.

The Family Has Been Here Before

The current battle did not begin in August.

Cher initially sought a temporary conservatorship over Elijah’s estate in December 2023.

At the time, she asked to serve as his sole conservator.

That proceeding was eventually dismissed in September 2024, with the parties turning their attention toward rebuilding family relationships.

But legal concerns later resurfaced.

Cher made another attempt to obtain conservatorship protection, and a Los Angeles judge denied that bid in April 2026.

That history now forms an important part of King-Allman’s argument.

She points to Elijah’s previous resistance to his mother’s involvement as evidence that a guardian backed by Cher may not be the right solution.

Cher’s side, meanwhile, argues that circumstances have changed and that stronger protections are warranted.

The Marriage Adds Another Layer

King-Allman and Elijah married in 2013, but their relationship has gone through lengthy periods of uncertainty.

Divorce proceedings have been filed more than once, and their marital situation has become part of the competing court narratives.

Cher’s lawyers point to that instability as one reason they question whether King-Allman should become a court-appointed fiduciary.

King-Allman describes the situation differently.

She has acknowledged serious challenges within the marriage but says concern for Elijah’s well-being caused her to reconsider ending it.

To her, being Elijah’s wife gives her a legitimate reason to participate in decisions about his future.

To Cher’s side, the marital history raises questions about whether she is the appropriate person to exercise that authority.

Again, the court has not resolved those competing characterizations.

Two Courts, One Central Question

Part of what makes the story appear complicated is that proceedings are happening in two states.

There is Cher’s conservatorship matter in California.

Then there is the guardianship process in New Hampshire.

But the underlying issue is easier to understand than the paperwork suggests.

Cher wants Elijah protected through a structure involving his half-brothers, Chaz Bono and Devon Allman.

King-Allman does not believe Cher should be able to effectively select the people given that authority.

She wants to be considered herself.

Cher’s position is strong enough that her attorneys have indicated the outcome in New Hampshire could determine whether she continues pursuing the California case.

The New Hampshire dispute also remained unresolved after a Sept. 1 proceeding, with the guardianship matter pushed to Dec. 1 after Elijah did not appear.

The Court Still Has to Decide Whom to Trust

For a family filled with famous names, the legal question is remarkably personal.

Elijah is the son of two music legends.

His mother is Cher.

His father was Gregg Allman.

One proposed guardian, Chaz Bono, is his maternal half-brother.

The other, Devon Allman, is his paternal half-brother.

And the person opposing that arrangement is his wife.

Each side insists its preferred approach is about Elijah’s welfare.

Cher argues that his brothers offer a safer and more appropriate structure and strongly challenges King-Allman’s suitability.

King-Allman argues that Cher should not be allowed to accomplish indirectly what Elijah previously resisted directly — having his mother determine who exercises control over his affairs.

For now, neither version has won.

The dispute remains before the courts, and allegations made in the filings remain contested.

But the choice at the heart of the case is now clear.

Cher wants the court to trust Elijah Blue Allman’s brothers.

His wife is asking the court to trust her instead.

And whichever position ultimately prevails could determine not only who helps oversee Elijah’s immediate future, but whether Cher continues her separate legal effort in California at all.