Shannen Doherty's cancer battle and divorce: Alimony fight deepens
Shannen Doherty has been battling cancer for many years. The TV series "Beverly Hills, 90210" star is also amid a divorce. "It is simply not right that Kurt be permitted to prolong our divorce in hopes that I die before he is required to pay me," stated the star in court documents.
9:26 AM EDT, June 21, 2024
Shannen Doherty learned about her illness in 2015. The detection of breast cancer prompted the actress to start treatment, which yielded positive results quickly.
Unfortunately, in 2019, the disease recurred, and the cancer also spread to her brain and bones. The '90s star, famous for productions such as "Beverly Hills, 90210" and "Charmed," is still trying new treatment methods. Recently, Doherty has been concerned not only with the terminal stage of her cancer but also with her divorce from Kurt Iswarienko.
Ex-husband refuses to pay alimony
The portal People accessed documents indicating that Shannen Doherty was not fully informed about her husband Kurt Iswarienko's earnings. The actress claims he is deliberately "dragging out" the process.
"It is simply not right that Kurt be permitted to prolong our divorce in hopes that I die before he is required to pay me,while he continues to live his life and shirk his responsibilities to his dying wife of more than 11 years," Doherty wrote in a court filing, quoted by people.com.
The lawyer of the "Beverly Hills, 90210" star's husband denies these claims, citing a settlement offered to the actress in October 2023. However, Doherty points out that the terms were insufficient. She also added that she filed for divorce in April 2023 after 11 years of marriage.
Katherine Heersema, Iswarienko's lawyer, told the media that her client wants the best for his ex-wife to "put the case behind them and move forward."
Extravagant lifestyle accusations
The actress accuses Iswarienko of living an extravagant lifestyle while she has no access to funds, an airplane, and a vacation home that the couple jointly bought in Texas.
"While I have been unable to work, incurring exorbitant medical expenses not covered by insurance to undergo experimental treatments in hopes of prolonging my life, Kurt has been utilizing the airplane, spending thousands of dollars at medical spas, jewelry stores, Gucci, and on flights for his 'agent,' while simultaneously claiming that he has insufficient funds with which to support me," she added in the lawsuit.
According to documented calculations, Iswarienko's average annual income over the past three years was nearly $673,000. This amounts to at least $56,000 per month, from which, Doherty's lawyers argue, alimony should be paid.
The same calculations for Doherty showed that the average annual income was $259,000, including her work in 2021 and 2022, during which she also had health insurance. The actress stated that this year, she earned just over $25,000, which her lawyers say indicates a significant decrease in income.