Shannen Doherty reveals terminal cancer amid wildfire insurance battle
February 15, 2020Actor has not received compensation for her home, which was damaged by smoke from the 2018 Woolsey fire
The actor Shannen Doherty has revealed her battle with terminal breast cancer in an interview about her ongoing fight with State Farm, Californias largest home insurer, to receive compensation for her wildfire-damaged home.
Dohertys Malibu home was damaged by smoke from the Woolsey fire in November 2018, which killed three people, destroyed more than 1,600 buildings and burned nearly 100,000 acres.
She made public the severity of her diagnosis in an interview with ABC News last week, in which Doherty called her fight with State Farm to receive compensation for home damages, temporary housing and emotional distress one of the most horrific processes I have ever been through.
Dohertys initial complaint against her homes insurer, State Farm, was filed on 13 February 2019. Her attorney claimed the insurer had taken advantage of Ms Dohertys vulnerability and medical condition. State Farm denied Dohertys claims, contending that the revelation of her health issues is a ploy to garner sympathy.
The disaster-stricken celebrity has become a California wildfire trope. While hardly representative of the average fire-impacted homeowner, they are presumably in a far more advantageous position to defend against and recover after catastrophe. Kim and Kanye Wests private firefighters who fought off the Woolsey flames were an auspice of inequality amid the climate crisis but Dohertys insurance battle shows some of the limits of privilege.
If its this hard for somebody whos got money and a certain amount of power, imagine how hard it is for just a regular person to fight back when their insurance company isnt living up to their obligations, said Amy Bach, the executive director of the not-for-profit United Policyholders, which advocates on behalf of people who are battling with insurance companies after a disaster.
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