Judge orders Nevada coroner to give up DNA in paternity lawsuit involving Sonny Bono

Tuesday, April 20, 1999 | 9:06 a.m.

A judge in Indio, Calif. ruled Monday that the Washoe County, Nev. coroner must turn over a blood sample containing Bono's DNA so that Sean Machu, 35, of Marina Del Rey can prove whether he is Bono's son.

Court papers filed in the Riverside County courthouse show that Cher filed a claim against Bono's $1.66 million estate last fall, alleging that her ex-husband owed her back alimony payments, the New York Daily News reported today. No amount was stipulated in the documents.

Cher's spokeswoman Liz Rosenberg didn't return a call seeking comment.

Bono was 62 when he hit a tree and was killed while skiing in South Lake Tahoe on Jan. 5, 1998. At the time of his death, Bono represented California's 44th Congressional District, which runs from Moreno Valley east to Blythe.

Bono's widow and political successor, Republican Rep. Mary Bono, said in court documents that she wouldn't contest Machu's claim if he is Bono's son, The Press-Enterprise of Riverside reported today.

Machu, who already has had blood drawn for the test, said he would give up his claim if the DNA didn't match.

Bono admitted having an affair with "Mimi" in his autobiography, "The Beat Goes On."

Machu's birth certificate of April 10, 1964 lists Mimi Georgette Machu as his mother and Salvatore Bono, a 29-year-old self-employed record producer, as his father. Bono wrote in his book that he didn't argue against Ms. Machu's claim that he fathered her son and paid a settlement.

A spokesman for the Washoe County coroner's office had said authorities didn't contest turning over the blood sample but said they needed a court order before they released it. Ms. Bono and Machu have agreed in court documents to keep the results of the paternity test confidential, the Press-Enterprise reported.

It wasn't determined how the estate should be divided among Bono's heirs, who also include his two young children with Ms. Bono, and his grown daughters, Chastity Bono and Christy Bono Fasce.