The battle between Cher and her son Elijah Blue Allman is heating up again with Allman filing a declaration in the hopes of convincing the judge in the case to dismiss the legendary singer/actress's petition to put him under conservatorship.
Allman, whose father is the late Allman Brothers' frontman Gregg Allman, submitted the petition this week, according to RadarOnline.com.
Cher has claimed that her son is battling drug addiction and mental illness and spends nearly all of his inheritance payments from Gregg Allman's estate on drugs and lavish hotel rooms. She claims he's been paid more than $1 million by the estate but has no savings.
"Elijah's untreated mental illness and addiction exacerbate his inability to manage his finances because when he is experiencing psychosis or using illicit substances, he lacks the ability to make decisions, let alone rational decisions, about his finances," reads Cher's petition, according to RadarOnline.
Despite that plea, Cher's emergency motion to be appointed conservator of Allman was denied by the court. However, a hearing is scheduled for July where Cher is expected to argue her case.
In his declaration, Allman said he didn't need his mother to manage his finances, after previously telling the court he was clean and sober.
"I understand a conservatorship is appropriate for a person who is substantially unable to manage his own financial resources or resist fraud or undue influence," he said, per RadarOnline.
"I have also retained an accounting firm to assist me in paying taxes and managing my finances," he added. "I am and have been capable of managing my own financial resources and resisting fraud and undue influence. I do not need a conservatorship."
Since Cher filed her petition, Allman claims that he's been busy hiring lawyers, paying bills, and releasing new music with his band. He adds that he's also in discussions "regarding other creative projects."
"Given that several months have passed since this matter has been filed and I've been able to manage my finances appropriately, it seems that the concerns raised in the pleadings filed by the petitioner, even if true, do not rise to the level necessary to curtail my civil rights and liberty with a conservatorship," Allman told the court.
Allman also got to the heart of the matter, denying Cher's claim that he's mentally ill. "I have struggled with addiction," he admitted, "but I am not mentally ill."
He also said that he doesn't believe Cher's "objectives are nefarious" but are unnecessary. "She is a wealthy and famous entertainer who does not need the comparatively small sums that I receive from my late father's trust," he said. "I know that my mother's actions are meant to help me but I do not need this help. My mother seems to believe that controlling these quarterly distributions will prevent me from engaging in self-destructive behaviors. She is misguided."
However, he did throw in a dig at Cher, saying she is "unfit" to serve as a conservator. "My mom is 77 years old and will be 78 when this matter is heard. I have seen her suffer from depression in the past and I do not believe that she is capable of making appropriate decisions for my estate."
Allman also pointed out that taking away control of his money won't necessarily keep him safe. "If in the event that I am inclined to engage in self-destructive behaviors, I do not need my trust distributions to do so; the world is full of addicts and mentally ill persons who do not need a trust distribution from which to draw. The only person who can save me from my demons is me - and I'm doing just that," he added.
