Cher questioned the doctor caring for her son in her desperate fight to gain sole conservatorship of Elijah Blue Allman. In documents obtained by RadarOnline.com, the 77-year-old singer insisted Dr. Howard Samuels is “not a medical doctor” but a licensed marriage and family therapist, whose opinion of her “untreated” son’s mental health should not be used in court — and she’s got his license to prove it.
“In Elijah’s recent papers, he represents that he is under the care of a ‘Dr. Howard Samuels.’ Howard Samuels is not a medical doctor. He is a licensed marriage and family therapist and has a doctorate in clinical psychology,” the documents filed on January 26 read.
Including Dr. Samuel’s license from the California Board of Behavioral Sciences, Cher insisted, “Given Elijah’s untreated mental illness, it is important that he be under the care of a medical doctor.”
“Elijah is entitled to regular distributions from a trust established by his father for his benefit, but given his ongoing mental health and substance abuse issues, [Cher] is concerned that any funds distributed to Elijah will immediately be spent on drugs, leaving Elijah with no assets to provide for himself, and putting Elijah’s life at risk,” her petition read.
But Elijah fought back, claiming he was “clean and sober,” adding the “proposed conservator [Cher] is unfit to serve.” The judge listened to both sides’ arguments this week and found that Cher’s legal team failed to prove her son could not handle his personal affairs.
The judge also pointed to Elijah’s alleged bipolar disorder, stating that his reported diagnosis doesn’t mean he’s incompetent as her lawyers claimed, and said that Cher’s son has provided the documentation to prove he’s sober and handling his finances just fine on his own.
