Talk about adding insult to injury: Actress Valerie Harper has reportedly been hit with a lawsuit from the playwright of Looped, a Broadway show Valerie starred in before her brain cancer diagnosis forced her to resign.
According to New York Daily News, Matthew Lombardo says Valerie failed to disclose she was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2009 before signing onto the show. He alleges the condition caused Valerie to slur her speech and forget lines, which hampered the show’s production.
Valerie performing in Looped in 2010.
Despite that, Valerie performed with the show until January 2013, when she was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer and warned she had just months to live. Producers replaced Valerie, but Matthew said they lost at least $500,000 in the interim. He’s asking for an additional $1.5 million because of the inconveniences they could have avoided if Valerie had been upfront with her diagnosis.
Valerie previously filed a lawsuit against Matthew, claiming he refused to pay the rest of the salary agreed upon in their contract. She also continues to battle cancer and recently refuted reports she is cancer-free.
“I wish I were,” she said of those reports, adding she is cautiously optimistic about her health.
