Shannen Doherty’s former spouse, Kurt Iswarienko, is still locked in a legal battle with the late actress’s estate nearly two years after her death from cancer.
Doherty’s estate is pushing to compel Iswarienko, 51, a photographer, to comply with the divorce settlement the pair signed before her passing. However, in court papers filed Wednesday, January 14, Iswarienko’s attorney argues that the agreement was submitted to the wrong court, challenging whether the court has jurisdiction over the matter, according to Us Weekly.
The Beverly Hills, 90210 alum died on July 13, 2024, at age 53 following an almost decade-long fight with cancer, and she continues to be fondly remembered by former co-stars and fans.
© Gregg DeGuireDoherty signed the divorce agreement on July 12, 2024. Iswarienko signed the following day, July 13, and a judge approved the agreement on July 15, 2024.
In the latest filing, Iswarienko contends that the divorce should not have proceeded through the courts because Doherty’s death on July 13 legally ended their marriage. As a result, he claims the court does not have the authority to enforce the terms of the settlement.
According to legal documents obtained by The Daily Mail, Doherty’s estate has accused Iswarienko of failing to uphold several obligations outlined in the divorce judgment. These alleged failures include not listing their shared $1.5 million home in Dripping Springs, Texas, by the agreed-upon deadline.
The estate also alleges that Iswarienko has withheld more than $50,000 owed to the estate and has not returned Doherty’s personal belongings.
© Neilson BarnardThese claims were laid out in a filing by Chris Cortazzo, trustee of the Shannen Doherty Family Trust, who sought to be named the Successor in Interest to the Decedent in order to enforce the judgment between Doherty and Iswarienko. The filing, submitted on November 24, included the divorce judgment as an exhibit.
Under the judgment, Iswarienko agreed to list the Texas property for sale by April 1, 2025, and to “equally divide the net proceeds” of any sale with Doherty’s estate.
However, the filing states that, “as of the date of this Declaration, Respondent has refused to list the Texas Residence for sale. Respondent has similarly refused to return Decedent's items of personal property.”
The former couple also agreed that Iswarienko would purchase Doherty’s share of her Mooney-20 airplane for $100,000 after the sale of an airplane hangar.
The estate alleges that Iswarienko failed to pay the full amount owed. “Upon the sale of the Hangar in August 2024, one month after Decedent's death, Respondent unilaterally withheld $50,274 from his payment to Decedent's estate,” the filing states.
It continues, “Respondent's payment to Decedent's estate was due within five (5) business days of the sale of the hangar, or on August 21, 2024. Respondent's payment is now 15 months delinquent.”
The estate further claims that Iswarienko has not complied with an agreement to provide a list of works he created during their marriage, along with copies of any works published during that time.
Per their agreement, Doherty was entitled to receive half of all licensing and syndication fees Iswarienko earned from works produced during their marriage, with certain exceptions. The agreement also required Iswarienko to remove all photos of Doherty from his website.
© VarietyHe was supposed to produce the required lists by September 1, 2024, but the estate alleges he has not done so.
Doherty died in 2024, four years after being diagnosed with stage four cancer. She was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015 and went into remission in 2017.
At the time of her death, she was surrounded by loved ones and her beloved dog, Bowie, according to her publicist, Leslie Sloane.
