Jury Awards Shannen Doherty $6.3M to Rebuild Her House

Actress had sued insurance company over settlement after wildfire
By Jenn Gidman,  Newser Staff
Posted Feb 6, 2020 8:10 AM CST
Updated Oct 5, 2021 12:09 PM CDT
State Farm: Shannen Doherty Using Cancer to Win Lawsuit
In this Nov. 14, 2015, file photo, Shannen Doherty is seen in Culver City, Calif.   (Photo by John Salangsang/Invision/AP, File)

Update: A Los Angeles jury has agreed that Shannen Doherty is owed more money by her insurer after her house was hit by a wildfire—to the tune of $6.3 million. The actress had sued, arguing that the house was so damaged that it needed to be rebuilt, while State Farm said it just needed to be cleaned. The award is intended to cover the rebuild, contents of the house, fees for attorneys, and emotional distress, TMZ reports. "This should send a message to State Farm and other institutions that they should not forget they are dealing with human beings," her lawyer said, per NBC. State Farm said it will look into appealing. Our original story from February 2020 follows:

Shannen Doherty's revelation this week that that she has stage 4 breast cancer is mostly drawing messages of support—except from one notable name. State Farm is suggesting the 90210 actress had an ulterior motive in first sharing that diagnosis in court documents. The 48-year-old is embroiled in a lawsuit with the insurance company over damage she says her home suffered during the 2018 California wildfires, and per new legal documents filed Wednesday in Los Angeles federal court, State Farm lawyers allege that Doherty has hatched a "plan at trial to garner sympathy by her contention that State Farm must rebuild her entire house," TMZ reports.

Doherty, per the insurance company's attorneys, wants State Farm to fork over $2.7 million to completely rebuild her home "because she has breast cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease." State Farm, meanwhile, say her residence only suffered smoke damage, not fire or structural damage, and that it's already given her upward of $1 million for cleaning services, remediation, and rent for a year for temporary digs. Doherty's attorney tells the New York Post that State Farm's claims are "appalling" and that "of course cancer and a chronic respiratory ailment are directly relevant to the means and scope of fire and smoke remediation in her home and on her clothes." (More Shannen Doherty stories.)

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