Shannen Doherty’s ex-husband, Kurt Iswarienko, is trying to block a court ruling that would change the trustees in the actress’ trust.
Iswarienko filed legal papers in Los Angeles Superior Court on Wednesday, citing Doherty’s death and the couple’s 2024 divorce as reasons why the court “lacks jurisdiction” in the matter, according to court documents obtained by Page Six.
According to the filing, Ms. Iswarienko argued that her and Ms. Doherty’s divorce should not have been formally adjudicated by the court because Ms. Doherty died on July 13, 2024, meaning the court should not have been able to rule on the agency decision.
He also argues that Christopher Cortazzo, the trustee of Shannen Dougherty’s estate, has not adequately shown that he was authorized by the trust to bring this motion to court in the first place.
Cortazzo filed papers on Nov. 24 seeking inheritance rights to the “Charmed” star’s estate in an effort to advance the ruling between her and Iswarienko.
In his complaint, Mr. Cortazzo accused Mr. Iswarienko of failing to honor the couple’s divorce agreement in which they agreed to list their $1.5 million home in Dripping Springs, Texas.
The estate also reportedly sued Doherty’s ex-man for failing to return Doherty’s assets and withholding more than $50,000 he was allegedly owed.
Doherty and Iswarienko’s divorce agreement was signed on July 13, hours before Doherty died at age 53 after a nine-year battle with breast cancer that had spread to her brain and bones.
On July 15, a judge officially declared the couple divorced.
Representatives for Dougherty’s estate did not immediately respond to Page Six’s request for comment.
Sources say the “Beverly Hills, 90210” star fought to the end of her life to end her marriage to Iswarienko because she feared the photographer, with whom the actress claimed to have cheated on her, was entitled to inherit her multimillion-dollar fortune.
“We knew it was really bad,” one of Doherty’s friends told Page Six at the time of her diagnosis.
“She fought so hard and it’s so unfair…Shannon died before the divorce could be granted in court. All we wanted was for Shannon to have her final wish fulfilled: to die a divorced woman.”
