Cher has urged a Los Angeles court to reject her son Elijah Blue Allman’s wife as his conservator, accusing Marieangela King-Allman of seeking to return to his life for financial gain or publicity.
In papers filed on 28 August, the singer said her family and the New Hampshire State Hospital remained “adamantly opposed” to King-Allman taking responsibility for Allman’s affairs. The 50-year-old musician is being held at the psychiatric facility while dealing with criminal and mental health issues following two arrests earlier this year.
King-Allman, 39, had asked to be appointed conservator in a filing made on 18 August. Cher’s objection was submitted through her lawyer, Justin Gold, as the two sides continued to dispute who should oversee Allman’s welfare and estate.
Cher’s filing claimed that King-Allman had been estranged from her husband while divorce proceedings were under way and had failed to help him before his arrest, despite repeated requests from his caretaker, Kayti Pease.
It alleged that King-Allman was now “inserting herself back into the picture on a quest for money and/or a bit of fame”. Cher also claimed she regarded the proposed appointment as “a financial opportunity to control his income”.
The singer said Allman had declined to see King-Allman during three visits to the New Hampshire facility. She argued that, given what she described as her daughter-in-law’s previous “behaviour and indifference” towards his health and living circumstances, she was not a suitable court-appointed fiduciary.
New Hampshire guardianship proceedings
The dispute comes as the New Hampshire State Hospital seeks to establish a guardianship covering both Allman’s person and estate. Cher said in her filing that the hospital began that process on 7 July and had suggested that Allman’s half-brothers, Chaz Bono and Devon Allman, take on the responsibility.
A Los Angeles hearing on Tuesday, 1 September, was postponed until 1 December after neither Allman nor a legal representative appeared, according to Page Six. The delay leaves the California conservatorship proceedings on hold while the separate New Hampshire case develops.
King-Allman has disputed Cher’s account of events. She said she had not been properly served with information about the conservatorship application and argued that New Hampshire, where Allman is receiving treatment and remains in custody, was the appropriate jurisdiction.
She also claimed that Cher had been estranged from her son for years and that her involvement could jeopardise his recovery. King-Allman said Allman’s autonomy could be undermined if a conservator selected by his mother were imposed against his wishes.
The couple married in 2013. King-Allman first filed for divorce in 2021, but that case was dismissed in February 2024. A second petition filed in April 2025, citing irreconcilable differences, was dismissed in June.
In May, documents filed on Allman’s behalf stated that Cher had not given him money since August 2021. The court has yet to decide who, if anyone, should be appointed to oversee his affairs.
