Did Shannen Doherty Remain Legally Married at the Time of Her Passing? Analyzing the Details of Her Divorce from Kurt Iswarienko
Trigger Warning: This article references death
Shannen Doherty was in the middle of a contentious divorce battle with ex-husband Kurt Iswarienko in the final stages of her life, but the Beverly Hills, 90210, actress tried her best to be pronounced legally single in her last moments. Doherty signed divorce paperwork to settle the annulment of her marriage with Iswarienko on July 12, a day before her demise on July 13.
He did the due diligence of co-signing on the day of Doherty’s death. People, with inputs from legal experts, however, reports that Doherty was still technically married when she breathed her last.
Shannen Doherty died a married woman — Legal breakdown
Doherty originally filed for divorce from Iswarienko in April 2023. Their divorce proceeding, however, was dragged out without resolution for nearly 15 months. On the day before her demise, though, the Charmed actress signed the paperwork necessary to end her marriage with Iswarienko, a photographer whom she married in 2011, agreeing to a “default or uncontested dissolution” of their marriage, suggesting the two had mutually settled their divorce outside of court.
However, since Doherty passed away before a judge could also officially sign off on the judgment for marital dissolution, the divorce wouldn’t technically have been considered final at the time of her passing, meaning “she was married at the time of her death,” per California-based lawyer David Esquibias’ assessment for People magazine. According to the Associated Press, a family law judge signed Doherty and Iswarienko’s divorce papers two days after the actress’ death.
Both Iswarienko and Doherty ultimately waived their right to spousal support, which was the focus of their contention over the last year.
Per legal experts, ironing out her divorce with Iswarienko before her death is a posthumous win for Doherty because it prevents the former from being able to challenge her estate. “[Doherty] fought the good fight,” said family law attorney Ashley Silberfeld to People.
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Shannen Doherty’s battle with cancer
Doherty was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015. She documented her fight with the disease on social media since then and until her death over the last weekend. Doherty went into remission in 2017, but her cancer returned as stage 4 cancer in 2020.
“It is with a heavy heart that I confirm the passing of actress Shannen Doherty. On Saturday, July 13, she lost her battle to cancer after many years of fighting the disease,” Doherty’s publicist, Leslie Sloane, confirmed in a media statement. She noted that the actress was surrounded by her loved ones when she left the world.
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