Shannon Doherty filed papers in Los Angeles Superior Court today that revealed she has breast cancer. The TV star is suing her financial management company, Tanner Mainstain, for negligence and breach of contract, among other charges, and is claiming that they allowed her health insurance to lapse.
The papers allege that Doherty was not informed that the company did not pay her premiums, as they were instructed to do, for the 2014 calendar year. When she enrolled again in 2015 and saw a doctor, the cancer was discovered. Doherty's doctors told her the cancer had spread during the time she was uninsured, and if she had been insured and made proper visits to the doctor, her cancer "could potentially have been stopped." Doherty's lawyers argue that Tanner Mainstain's negligence is why she may have to undergo chemotherapy or a mastectomy, or other future invasive treatment.
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The court documents detail Doherty's signed agreement with Tanner Mainstain in 2009, which was to handle her "accounting, business management, tax, payroll, insurance and investment services." The company did not pay her insurance premiums to the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) in 2013 for the 2014 year, and terminated their relationship in February of 2014.
Doherty's lawyers list questionable accounting practices in the suit, including "strange and unidentified transfers to unidentified individuals and accounts" from her accounts, overcharging management fees by "thousands of dollars," and repeated failure to pay her income taxes in a timely fashion, resulting in tax liens.
Even more bizarre are the details about Doherty's house being destroyed in a storm, and Tanner Mainstain collecting the insurance money. The papers say the company diverted $50,000 of it back to themselves, paid multiple sums to a friend of her money manager for contractor fees when no work was done, and neglected to arrange for a tax assessment on the property after it was repaired, which resulted in quite a lot of headaches come tax season.
Doherty is seeking damages in an amount to be decided at trial and restitution. Doherty's lawyer did not respond to a request for comment at press time, nor did a representative for Tanner Mainstain.
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