Shannen Doherty Reveals Breast Cancer in Lawsuit

Blames former manager for screwing up her health insurance
By Newser Editors,  Newser Staff
Posted Aug 19, 2015 7:30 PM CDT
Shannen Doherty Reveals Breast Cancer in Lawsuit
Actress Shannen Doherty in 2014.   (Photo by Andy Kropa/Invision/AP)

Shannen Doherty revealed today that she has breast cancer that will likely require a mastectomy and chemo. But the revelation came in unusual fashion—via a lawsuit against her former management company, reports the Hollywood Reporter. The 44-year-old actress says Tanner Mainstain failed to pay her insurance premiums, which caused her policy from the Screen Actors Guild to lapse. Because of that, she went without medical care, and in that time the cancer developed and spread, she alleges. It was diagnosed this year when she re-enrolled. Tanner Mainstain calls the allegation "patently false."

"Yes I have breast cancer," Doherty tells People. "I am continuing to eat right, exercise and stay very positive about my life." Her lawsuit says she has not been able to work since the diagnosis as her medical bills mount. "Plaintiff was also informed that, had she been insured and able to visit her doctor, the cancer could potentially have been stopped, thus obviating the need for the future treatment (including mastectomy and chemotherapy) that Plaintiff will likely have to suffer through now," it says. (More breast cancer stories.)

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