A Los Angeles County judge has rejected Cher’s urgent request to place a court-appointed conservator in control of her son’s finances while he remains held at a New Hampshire psychiatric facility and awaits resolution of pending criminal matters.
Cher had sought an immediate conservatorship over Elijah Blue Allman — her only child with the late rock legend Gregg Allman of the Allman Brothers — before his next scheduled quarterly disbursement from his late father’s estate trust, expected in May. The presiding judge indicated she found no compelling reason to act immediately and stated she would revisit the matter at a follow-up proceeding in June. She further noted that Cher could petition the court earlier if a separate court determines that Allman is legally incapacitated.
Allman, 49, joined the proceedings remotely. Appearing via live video feed from his New Hampshire hospital room, he sat quietly in an office chair and offered only brief remarks — requesting that his former counsel, Steven K. Brumer, resume his representation and expressing gratitude to the judge for her decision.
“I certainly understand the concerns of Mr. Allman’s friends and family regarding his behavior. But those concerns do not necessarily equate to a finding that the proposed conservatee lacks capacity or that a probate conservatorship is appropriate,” said Judge Jessica A. Uzcategui from the bench. “I am going to deny the temporary conservatorship without prejudice.”
Friday’s proceedings arrived more than a year after Cher and Allman quietly reached a private settlement in 2024, effectively ending her initial push to assume control of his trust disbursements. That first conservatorship petition had been filed in 2023, with Cher maintaining that her son “urgently needed” protection in light of what she described as “severe mental health and substance abuse issues.”
In her renewed filing last week, Cher alleged that Allman had broken his earlier commitment to retain a professional business manager. She further contended that his circumstances had once again unraveled due to worsening addiction and deteriorating mental health, making judicial oversight not just helpful but essential.
“Elijah’s situation has become dire on multiple fronts. His mental health has severely deteriorated, his financial situation is terrible, and his drug dependency is at its worst,” states her April 15 petition, filed in probate court and reviewed by Rolling Stone. Cher described her son as “gravely disabled,” citing his consecutive arrests in New Hampshire — one involving alleged criminal threats made at a school, the other a residential break-in.
During Friday’s session, Cher’s attorney Justin Gold relayed to the court that Allman had traveled to New Hampshire, apparently to see a friend, before embarking on what Gold characterized as “some sort of a spree” that culminated in his arrests and subsequent psychiatric hospitalization. Gold pressed for an emergency financial conservatorship, pointing to what he called “substantial debts” — among them a $200,000 outstanding tax liability and a monthly spousal support obligation of $6,500 that Allman reportedly cannot sustain.
“Hopefully his health can be handled and improved [in New Hampshire]. And while he’s there improving himself and hopefully being weaned off addiction and getting some medication, his financial ship can be righted,” Gold told the court. “He can’t do as much damage in a locked facility, but the damage has been done, and someone needs to deal with it.”
Gold also disclosed that Cher had hired separate legal counsel to pursue a reduction in Allman’s monthly spousal support after he fell behind on payments, though he acknowledged those efforts could only go so far without broader court-sanctioned authority.
“She’s out here trying to help him, trying to make sure he’s in a position to become the person who she knows and loves,” Gold said. “And the same with his brother and the rest of the family, who are all so sad about what’s happening.”
After hearing from both parties, Judge Uzcategui concluded that no genuine emergency had been established to justify intervention at this stage. She specifically noted that the upcoming May trust payment did not rise to the level of an urgent concern requiring immediate judicial action.
“Given that the proposed conservatee is currently in a psychiatric hospital with pending charges awaiting him, I don’t have any reason to believe he would be able to access any of that distribution for illicit substances or expensive hotels,” the judge observed.
Speaking to Rolling Stone the evening before the hearing, Allman’s attorney Avi Levy said his client — the 49-year-old guitarist known for his work with rock outfit Deadsy — was “disappointed but not surprised by this latest attempt to gain control over his finances.” Levy added that he and co-counsel had been in regular contact with Allman throughout the week and that he “remains in good spirits despite the circumstances.”
This is not the first time the court has seen this dispute play out. When Cher originally pursued conservatorship authority in December 2023, Allman showed up in person to contest it, assuring the court he had put drug use behind him and was committed to restoring financial stability. Judge Uzcategui denied emergency relief on that occasion as well, scheduling a fuller hearing on a potential long-term arrangement — proceedings that were ultimately rendered moot by the private settlement between mother and son.
Since that 2024 agreement, Cher alleges, Allman’s behavior has continued on a destructive trajectory. Court documents describe him as “living wildly beyond his means,” allegedly cycling through high-end hotels he cannot afford and short-term rentals, reportedly leaving behind more than $50,000 in property damage at one Airbnb location, and purportedly running up an $18,000 tab with a drug supplier.
Court records reviewed by Rolling Stone indicate Allman was taken into custody on February 27 at St. Paul’s School in Concord, New Hampshire, facing charges of trespassing, criminal threatening, and simple assault. According to WMUR 9 News, Allman allegedly gained access to the campus by posing as a parent considering enrollment, grew hostile toward staff, and struck a student with his cane. He was processed and released, only to be arrested again two days later in Windham, New Hampshire, this time on a burglary charge. A woman had called police, telling dispatchers she was “hiding in a closet” as an intruder moved through her home. A police affidavit obtained by Rolling Stone describes officers arriving to discover a broken glass door and Allman “seated on the living room couch smoking a cigarette.”
A New Hampshire court has scheduled Allman’s trial in the Concord school matter for June 16, according to WMUR. He was not present at Monday’s arraignment.
According to Cher’s legal filings, Allman draws approximately $120,000 annually from the trust his father established. Each disbursement, she claims, is “immediately squandered without regard for his liabilities or well-being.”
“There is a clear pattern in Elijah’s behavior,” Cher’s filing states. “After he receives his trust distribution, he checks into a hotel, usually the Chateau Marmont, buys and uses drugs until he runs out of money, ends up in the hospital, or overdoses. Based on this pattern, if Elijah were to receive his trust distribution, he will use it to buy drugs.”
If you or someone you know is navigating a substance use challenge, free and confidential help is available around the clock through SAMHSA’s National Helpline at 1-800-662-4357.
Allman’s brother Devon Allman filed a supporting declaration backing the conservatorship bid. “It is my opinion that he is currently a danger to himself and unable to manage his life, and any funds that would become available to him,” Devon wrote, adding that a recent visit to his brother left him with “unfortunate and profound sadness that took weeks of my life to process.” He described his brother’s physical and mental state as “appalling and delusional, respectively.”
Devon further revealed that he had personally intervened to settle what he described as a negotiation with a heroin dealer over a five-figure debt his brother had accumulated. “That was very difficult to navigate. I felt compelled to help for his safety, though,” he wrote, urging the court to keep Elijah away from direct access to funds “until he has demonstrated a commitment to invest in his long-term physical and mental health.”
In a departure from her 2023 approach — when Cher sought to serve as conservator herself — she is now requesting the court designate Jason Rubin, a credentialed private fiduciary, for the role. Under her proposal, Rubin would be empowered to receive Allman’s trust distributions directly and allocate funds toward his expenses at professional discretion. Rubin was present in the courtroom Friday but offered no remarks to the judge.
Source: Original reporting by Rolling Stone, based on court documents, bail records, police affidavits, and attorney statements filed and obtained in connection with Los Angeles County probate proceedings. Additional reporting by WMUR 9 News (New Hampshire).
