Shannen Doherty awarded $6.3 million in State Farm fire lawsuit
BANG Showbiz English
Shannen Doherty has been awarded $6.3 million after winning a lawsuit over her fire-damaged house.
The 50-year-old actress – who has been living with stage four breast cancer since 2019 – had her Malibu home ruined by wildfires in 2018, and she claimed her insurer, State Farm, hadn’t sufficiently paid for the damage.
A federal jury in Los Angeles found the insurer’s failure to fork out for policy benefits for her house were “unreasonable and without proper cause”.
The ‘Charmed’ star’s lawyer Devin McRae said afterwards: “We thank the members of the jury for their thoughtful consideration of Shannen’s case.
“We are happy they saw the case the way we do.
“This should send a message to State Farm and other institutions that they should not forget they are dealing with human beings.”
State Farm added: “We empathise with Ms Doherty’s health and wish her the best.
“We are disappointed by the jury’s decision and respectfully disagree with it.
“We will explore all available legal options, including appealing the verdict.”
Meanwhile, Shannen has updated fans about her condition, admitting she is going to “keep fighting to stay alive”.
Speaking on ‘Good Morning America’ on Monday (04.10.21), she said: “I never want to operate [like I’m dying].
“I just want to operate as I don’t have things to check off because I’m going to keep fighting to stay alive.
“A lot of people who get diagnosed with stage four, they sort of get written off.
“It’s assumed that they cannot work or they can’t work at their full capacity, and that is not true … that is something that I would really like for people to stop assuming and give us a chance to prove them wrong.”
Last month, Shannen admitted she has accepted that her cancer battle is “part of life”.
She said: “I feel like I have a responsibility in my more public life, which I separate from my acting life … to talk about cancer and perhaps educate people more and let people know that people with stage four are very much alive and very active.”
