Cher Sues Universal

When the money is gone, Cher will come after it!

Cher is suing the Universal Music Group for not paying her and her late ex-husband, Sonny Bono, the amount rightly earned in royalties. The amount she is after: $5 million.

The lawsuit, filed yesterday in Los Angeles, claims that after careful review of the company's accounting, UMG execs "engaged in wrongful tactics" in order to hide revenue from two hit compilation albums.

Cher's people are insisting that both Cher and Bono's heirs are to be receiving 50% of the net royalties off of the albums, as that was the signed agreement on both albums, which were both distributed while Sonny was still alive.

But not only that, the lawsuit claims that the company sold a "Cher Greatest Hits" record internationally and hid the proceeds from that in their international branch.

The complaint states: "Instead of reporting to and paying plaintiffs their share of the revenues generated by Warner UK, UMG Recordings, in an egregious example of self-dealing, apparently inserted Universal International as a middleman in the transaction … for the sole purpose of diverting money that rightfully belonged to Plaitinffs to Universal International."

What a bunch of thieves…Gypsys, tramps, and thieves!

If they know what's good for them, they'll just pay up. We bet Cher has got the best legal team money from five decades of hit songs can buy!

[Image via WENN.]