It is not uncommon for a lawsuit to follow a gruesome tragedy and Jim Carrey, even with his fame and notoriety, is not immune to this fact. The suicide of the actor’s ex-girlfriend, Cathriona White, has caused White’s mother and ex-husband to file a wrongful death lawsuit against Carrey.
White’s mother, Brigid Sweetman, and White’s ex-husband, Mark Burton, believe that Carrey was the one to provide White with the painkillers used to end her life. In Sweetman’s complaint, she calls Carrey “pure evil” and claims that he transmitted sexually transmitted dieseases to her daughter.
At the time of her death, White was found surrounded by prescription painkillers, including oxycodone and oxymorphone. Police uncovered a text message sent from Carrey to White the day before White’s death asking if she knew where his painkillers that he kept under the sink had gone. Sweetman and Burton believe the text message to have been staged.
In Burton’s complaint against the actor, it is alleged that Carrey used his fame to obtain painkillers illegally under a false name (Arthur King) and provide them to White. The complaint also alleges that Carrey lied to White about having STDs and that was a factor that led to White’s suicide.
What has followed from these complaints are statements made by each party’s attorneys. Carrey’s attorney, Martin Singer, has stressed that he finds this lawsuit to be nothing more than an “abhorrent money-grab scheme” and “completely meritless.” Sweetman and Burton’s lawyer, Michael Avenatti, claims that Carrey is attacking a grieving mother, is a fraud, and making up facts in order to protect Carrey’s career.
Recently, Jim Carrey has asked the court to suspend the lawsuit against him. Carrey filed a declaration in which he explains his side of the story. Included with this declaration are copies of White’s suicide note, photos, and texts between the two. In the 10-page declaration, we learn that White and Carrey met at a Guns N’ Roses concert and ultimately fell in love over Skype while Carrey was working in London. The two reportedly had an on and off relationship that was rocky at times, but Carrey’s statements since White’s death have been nothing but expressions of love and grievance.
Carrey’s legal team continues to call Sweetman and Burton’s claims meritless, while Sweetman and Burton’s attorney continues to call Carrey and his attorneys liars. It seems easy to point fingers at family members who have lost a loved one when there is an elite actor such as Carrey involved. Money becomes a big factor and a sudden tragedy turns into a he-said, she-said fighting match of words. It is still unclear how this suit will pan out. The public is constantly clamoring for another juicy, legal dilemma involving a high-profile actor, so even if the claims against Carrey prove to be meritless, it is sure to be front page news just because of his name.
Additional Reading:
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr-esq/jim-carrey-court-filings-include-939490
Photo Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/pop-culture/celebrity/jim-carrey-carries-ex-girlfriends-coffin-funeral-ireland-n442251