show ad

Trail of dead cows lays bare the destruction of Southern tornadoes as another nine die in powerful Alabama and Mississippi twisters
German exchange student, 17, shot dead by Montana homeowner who had set trap with purse as 'bait' to catch burglars in garage
Porn industry fury as Chase bank 'closes accounts belonging to hundreds of adult film stars'
The lengths one expectant mother went to in order to hide her pregnancy from the internet (and its prying marketers)
AOL hacked: Email security breach may have exposed a 'significant number' of users' private information
'It's not something we can ignore': FBI director says better tracking of hate crime needed after white supremacist 'killed three outside Jewish community centre'
'Freaky' sex with a $500-an-hour prostitute and outrageous slurs against 'unclean' blacks: The sordid legal battles of LA Clippers owner Donald Sterling laid bare
Did he get his just dessert? Clippers owner Donald Sterling dines with grim-faced estranged wife - just hours after she branded him 'despicable and small-minded' for racist rant at girlfriend
Donald Sterling's 'girlfriend' keeps quiet on release of shocking 'racist' tapes but insists she was just his archivist, not his mistress
Could there be a Magic ending? Johnson is 'absolutely interested' in buying the LA Clippers if 'racist' owner Donald Sterling is forced to sell
Virgin America, State Farm, and Amtrak abandon LA Clippers 'withdrawing hundreds of millions of sponsorship' as fallout from Donald Sterling's 'racist' tirade continues
Now Lebron James and Miami Heat wear shirts inside out over Donald Sterling's rant as Clippers own owner's SON-IN-LAW calls him a racist
Sterling donated heavily to the Museum of Tolerance, United Negro College Fund and Black Business Association
Model who exposed Donald Sterling's 'racist' remarks wasn't his 'first rodeo' and his wife is 'person least fooled' by his 'grotesque' behavior, explosive court papers reveal
Craig Ferguson announces retirement from The Late Late Show as he calls split with CBS a 'conscious uncoupling'
Ohio driving student, 16, and instructor both killed during crash after student ran intersection stop sign
Experimental drug which took 26 MINUTES to execute convict as he suffered agonisisng 'air hunger WAS humane, insists Ohio
Judge okays the sale of a widow's $280,000 home over unpaid $6.30 tax bill
Don't use IE: Government issues major warning over Internet Explorer bug and says hackers are ALREADY exploiting it
No 'vaping' in bars: New York City bans e-cigarettes from public places
Husband sentenced to 16 months in prison after admitting to running over estranged wife's Chihuahua named Cow-Cow in the middle of divorce
Florida man accused of rental fraud dumps a bucket of URINE on a building inspector
The groundbreaking movie that used same actors over 12 YEARS to tell touching story of boy growing up
Thirty per cent of breast cancer survivors are unemployed within four years of treatment

Valerie Harper being sued for $2 million by Broadway producer for not revealing her terminal cancer diagnosis

Published: 17:06 EST, 27 April 2014 | Updated: 05:31 EST, 28 April 2014

View
comments

She was diagnosed with inoperable brain cancer last year, but has since been given a clean bill of health.

But now the producer of Valerie Harper's former Broadway show Looped is suing her for not revealing that the terminal illness had returned.

According to TMZ, Matthew Lombardo has filed a lawsuit for $2m claiming the 74-year-old performer intentionally failed to notify them that the cancer had returned forcing them to have to find a last minute replacement.

Lawsuit: Valeria Harper is being sued for $2m by her former Broadway producer for not revealing she had cancer, picture here in New York earlier this month

Claim: Matthew Lombardo reportedly told her to see a doctor which is when Valerie obtained the diagnosis and given months to live, pictured in 2011 in NYC

The actress was in rehearsals for the national production of the play when she started having trouble remembering her lines and suffered from slurred speech in 2012, reported the website.

Lombardo reportedly told her to see a doctor which is when Valerie obtained the diagnosis and given months to live.

Having to pull out of the production for obvious health reasons, Lombardo had to find a suitable replacement which he now claimes cost him $500,000.

Broadway: Valerie as Tallulah Bankhead in Looped in 2010

The Broadway producer is also reportedly seeking another $1.5 million because of Valerie's alleged negligence in telling them the lung cancer she had been battling since 2009 had spread to her brain.

According to TMZ, Valerie -- who received a 2010 Tony Award nomination for portraying legendary actress Tallulah Bankhead in the production -- had also previously filed a lawsuit against the show's producers for allegedly failing to pay out the rest of her contract.

In a new interview, the talented actress recently revealed her prognosis has seen a remarkable improvement.

Critically acclaimed: The 74-year-old received a Tony nomination for the role in 2010 and was in rehearsals for the national tour of the show when she obtained the cancer diagnosis

Harper's recent cover of Closer Weekly claimed she was cancer free after being told a year ago she had only months to live.

But a day later the Rhoda star was asked to explain what she meant.

'I want to thank Closer Weekly for giving me a chance to clarify my story and, more importantly, to address the headline which states that I am cancer free. I am not cancer free,' the 74-year-old actress said.

Setting the story straight: Valerie Harper clarified on Thursday that she is not cancer free, as she suggested in her Closer Weekly cover story

'As I have stated on many occasions, I have Leptomeningeal Carcinomatosis (Lepto), lung cancer that has traveled to the meninges around my brain,' she said.

'While speaking to the reporter for Closer Weekly, I was relaying a story where my doctor had told me that in his 30 year practice, I was the only Lepto patient he has seen without other cancers already present.'

The former Dancing With The Stars contestant added: 'I had just had my yearly full-body scan to determine if this sneaky cancer had migrated to other parts of my body. Therefore, in completing that part of the story, I told the reporter with excitement that I was cancer-free, but what I meant to say was that my full body scan revealed that I was still thankfully cancer free.'

Role of a lifetime: The Emmy winning actress is best known for playing Rhoda Morgenstern

'What all parties want to be made clear now is that while the Lepto has not spread, I am still not cured. I am a cancer patient, and I continue to fight with the hope that a cure may be just around the corner,' she said.

The TV icon also express her gratitude toward fans for their support, saying it gives her 'hope.'

Harper was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor last March. At the time, doctors told her that she probably had just few more months to live.

She had earlier told Closer: '[The oncologist] looked at the scans and said, "Oh my God, Valerie, this is very encouraging!' I’m now the poster child for not believing everything I’m told.'

Harper did add that her doctor won't use the term 'remission,' however.

Inspirational story: Valerie has been enjoying every minute of her life as she fights cancer

Gruelling: The chemo treatment is seen trying the star to the limit

Gruelling: Her chemo treatment is seen trying the star to the limit in an NBC documentary charting her progress

'He likes to say, "I give you a treatment, and it’s either responsive or nonresponsive - and you are having a phenomenal response."'

'There may come a time when I'm not feeling good," she said. "But then again, that time may never come.'

Valerie looked healthy and happy as she autographed copies of her memoir I, Rhoda at a Hollywood collector's convention in Los Angeles in January.

Cancer survivor before: Doctors believe that Valerie's brain cancer may be linked to an early battle against lung cancer

Experimental treatments: Valerie has tried acupuncture and Chinese remedies to fight her cancer

In November, she appeared on the DWTS finale where she told People, 'I don't have any big terrible symptoms, so as long as that's happening and I'm seeing my doctors, what's to complain about? There's people out there really suffering, so I'm feeling pretty good.'

Harper wed her husband Tony Cacciotti in 1987 and they have been happily married ever since.

The couple adopted their daughter Cristina when she was aged four.

The perfect spot? The couple examine possible grave sites

Heartbreaking: Valerie and husband Tony Cacciotti even looked for burial sites

Valerie Harper Sued By Broadway Honcho -- How Dare You Get Brain Cancer During My Play!

MOST WATCHED NEWS VIDEOS

Comments (52)

Share what you think

View all

The comments below have been moderated in advance.

Ruckus, Uk, 19 hours ago

nice people...suing a cancer victim!

168

Click to rate

lawlover2010, Columbus, United States, 19 hours ago

His fault for not having an understudy.....

144

Click to rate

Rich Fettig, LOS ANGELES, United States, 19 hours ago

having lost many friends relatves etc to this awful disease....i cant imagine the insult of being sued for failing to disclose when she DIDNT know...how can you fail to disclose what you did not know? the suit is baseless and should be thrown out

148

Click to rate

Enquirer, Meriden, United Kingdom, 19 hours ago

Was the loss Lombardo's or Lombardo's production company? Of course, a corporation being a person and having feelings has to have them equally considered er... doesn't it? Absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with loss of revenue.

Click to rate

TheBride, New York, United States, 19 hours ago

No understudy???? The line of people willing to replace her must have been from here to Leicester Square!!!!

Click to rate

wstaple, Franklin, United States, 19 hours ago

You stay classy, Mr. Lombardo......

103

Click to rate

Dr Evil, Evil Towers, United Kingdom, 19 hours ago

I have to admit to being a big fan of Rhoda back in the 70s. So sorry to read about VH's illness. As for suing her, this producer should be thoroughly ashamed of himself.