Shannen Doherty has been forced to reveal she has breast cancer after suing her ex-manager for not paying her health-insurance premium last year, People magazine reports.
The news about the Beverly Hills, 90210 star’s medical condition emerged on August 19 after she filed suit against the Los Angeles accounting firm Tanner Mainstain Glynn & Johnson and its former partner, Steven D. Blatt, accusing them of mismanagement.
According to the lawsuit, 44-year-old Shannen Doherty was diagnosed with invasive breast cancer in March, and that her doctors told her earlier treatment might have stopped its spread.
Shannen Doherty claims that her former business managers failed to pay the premium for her health insurance last year, so it was cancelled. As a result, she couldn’t get health insurance again until the following year, and with no coverage, she didn’t visit her doctors or get a cancer checkup.
Now the cancer has spread and the star likely will have to undergo more drastic treatments, such a mastectomy. Such treatment might not have been necessary if the cancer had been caught as early as possible, Shannen Doherty argues.
Her husband, photographer Kurt Iswarienko, also is suing Tanner Mainstain, accusing them of mismanaging the couple’s money and leading to other financial troubles, including tax audits and liens.
A lawyer representing Tanner Mainstain, Randall Dean, issued a statement on August 19 saying the firm is “saddened” to hear about Shannen Doherty’s diagnosis.
“Tanner Mainstain is saddened to learn that Ms. Doherty is suffering from cancer and wishes her a full recovery. However, the claim that Tanner Mainstain caused her to be uninsured, prevented her from seeking medical care, or somehow contributed to her cancer is patently false. Tanner Mainstain will aggressively defend all of Ms. Doherty’s claims in court,” the statement said.
