Jim Carrey faces wrongful death civil lawsuit in ex-girlfriend's suicide
LOS ANGELES -- The estranged husband of Jim Carrey's late ex-girlfriend filed a civil lawsuit Monday against the Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind star, alleging that Carrey illegally supplied Cathriona White with powerful prescription drugs, monitored and controlled her and then tried to cover it up after she died by suicide.
Carrey's publicist did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
White, an Irish makeup artist and aspiring actress, was 30 when she overdosed last September on a mix of oxycodone, oxymorphone, propranolol and zolpidem. Her death was ruled a suicide and a note was found addressed to Carrey.
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The two were reportedly in a relationship that was on and off for three years, and had broken up again a week before her death. The civil complaint, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, was brought by Mark Burton of Oregon, who says the two were still married. They were reportedly separated and had planned to divorce.
Burton claims Carrey procured several prescription medications under the false name "Arthur King" and supplied them to White, "despite the fact that he knew full well that Ms. White ... was ill-equipped to ingest and manage highly addictive prescription drugs" due to her depression and previous suicide attempts.
The lawsuit also alleges that Carrey used video surveillance in his home to monitor White's comings and goings, became aware of her death and used that knowledge to protect himself. From the lawsuit:
... after White committed suicide, and in an effort to cover-up his conduct and complicity in her death, CARREY sent a bogus text message on September 27, 2015 to White (who was already deceased) pretending as though he had misplaced the Drugs and insinuating White may have taken them ... without his knowledge.
Read the entire filing here:
Burton also claims Carrey went back on his promise to pay for White's funeral services, at which the actor was a pallbearer last October.
"Instead, Carrey reneged on his promise after learning that White had left a minimal amount of money to her family. Not surprisingly, he never informed the media of his broken promise and decision to stiff the family. Instead, he allowed the perpetuation of the 'grieving, good guy' image he and his handlers had crafted for the media."
Burton's lawsuit seeks undisclosed monetary damages -- including recovery of "burial expenses," punitive damages and attorney fees -- and demands a jury trial.
Josh Dickey is Mashable's Entertainment Editor, leading Mashable's TV, music, gaming and sports reporters as well as writing movie features and reviews.Josh has been the Film Editor at Variety, Entertainment Editor at The Associated Press and Managing Editor at TheWrap.com.A finalist for the Los Angeles Press Club's Best Entertainment Feature in 2015 for "Everyone is Altered: The Secret Hollywood Procedure that Fooled Us for Years," Josh received his BA in Journalism from The University of Minnesota.In between screenings, he can be found skating longboards, shredding guitar and wandering the streets of his beloved downtown Los Angeles.
