Shannen Doherty's Ex-Husband Contests Divorce Settlement Posthumously

Less than two years after Beverly Hills, 90210 and Charmed star Shannen Doherty passed away at age 53, her legal estate and ex‑husband Kurt Iswarienko are locked in a bitter courtroom dispute over the divorce settlement the couple signed just before her death. What seemed like a final chapter in a long, painful divorce process has instead become a prolonged legal fight that continues to divide the actress’s legacy and her estate’s efforts to honor her final wishes. Doherty died on July 13, 2024, after a nearly decade‑long battle with metastatic breast cancer. She had married Iswarienko, a professional photographer, in 2011, and the couple remained together for 11 years before Doherty filed for divorce in 2023. The divorce was finalized just one day before she died, with Doherty signing the settlement on July 12, 2024, and Iswarienko signing on July 13. A judge officially approved the divorce on July 15, 2024, two days after her passing. Now, in January 2026, Iswarienko has filed legal documents in the Los Angeles Superior Court challenging that settlement, People reports. He is arguing that the court handling the case lacked jurisdiction and that the agreement should not be enforceable because Doherty died before it was entered into the record. What’s Being Contested: Jurisdiction, Terms, and Allegations of Breach The latest chapter in this story began on January 14, 2026, when Iswarienko’s attorneys submitted a motion arguing that the divorce settlement was filed in the wrong court, and therefore, the Los Angeles Superior Court doesn’t have the authority to enforce its terms now that Doherty has passed. They also contend that the legal process should have ended with her death. Iswarienko isn’t disputing that a settlement exists or that it was signed by both parties. His argument is technical: because Doherty died on the same day he signed the agreement and before the judge’s official sign‑off, the divorce as a legal process ended with her death, in his view. If the court lacked jurisdiction to enforce the settlement posthumously, then the legal basis for requiring him to comply with its terms would collapse. That argument focuses squarely on jurisdiction, whether a court has the right and authority to enforce an agreement after one party dies. Deaths during or after divorce proceedings can raise complex procedural questions, but the key issue here isn’t whether Doherty signed the settlement; she did, but the question is whether the process continued appropriately under California law. Doherty’s estate, represented by attorney Christopher Cortazzo, trustee of the Shannen Doherty Family Trust, has argued that the settlement was properly completed and should be enforceable. In a previous motion filed in November 2025, the estate alleged that Iswarienko had failed to comply with multiple provisions of the agreement. Those alleged breaches include: Not listing a jointly owned $1.5 million home in Dripping Springs, Texas, for sale as required, with the proceeds to be split equally with the estate. Withholding at least $50,274 that was owed to the estate from the sale of a Mooney M‑20 airplane after the hangar and aircraft were sold; the estate alleges Iswarienko did not pay over the full amount. Failing to return personal belongings of Doherty’s, including photographs and other items referenced in the agreement. In response, Iswarienko’s legal team has not denied the existence of the settlement or the alleged failures; instead, they argue that because the court lacked jurisdiction, none of these obligations can be enforced. The History Leading to This Moment: A Painful Separation and a Final Wish The backdrop to this legal battle is a deeply personal and often painful story. Doherty first announced her divorce from Iswarienko in 2023, after 11 years of marriage, citing irreconcilable differences. At the time, her publicist said that “divorce is the last thing Shannen wanted,” but that she felt she had no other option. Later that year, on her podcast Let’s Be Clear with Shannen Doherty, the actress shared that the relationship had been marked by betrayal, claiming Iswarienko had been having an affair for two years before she discovered it, which deeply affected her emotionally while she was facing health challenges. Doherty’s death came on July 13, 2024, after a long battle with metastatic breast cancer that had returned and spread, ending her life at age 53. Her hardships and her strength had drawn widespread admiration from fans and peers alike. Given the context of that divorce, a drawn‑out legal process coinciding with the end of her life, many people interpreted the settlement as her attempt to legally separate from Iswarienko and protect her legacy. A judge’s official sign‑off on the divorce on July 15 was symbolic, finalizing what she had signed just before she died. What’s at Stake and What Comes Next So, why does this matter now? For Doherty’s estate, the stakes involve enforcing the terms she and Iswarienko agreed upon, including financial distributions and the transfer of specific property. If the court finds it has jurisdiction, Iswarienko would be legally required to fulfill those obligations. If the court agrees with Iswarienko’s argument that jurisdiction was improper, then the estate could lose the legal basis to enforce the divorce settlement at all. Iswarienko’s claim that the divorce should have ended with Doherty’s death, effectively nullifying the court’s power to enforce the agreement, raises legal questions that often hinge on state law nuances about death during divorce proceedings, estate law, and trust authority. Another layer involves Christopher Cortazzo's authority as trustee: Iswarienko’s filing also challenged whether Cortazzo had demonstrated he had actual authority under the trust to bring enforcement motions to the court. At this writing, the dispute remains ongoing in the Los Angeles Superior Court, and no final ruling has been issued. The judge will need to determine whether the court has jurisdiction and, if so, whether Iswarienko must comply with the terms of the 2024 settlement.