Things have gone from bad to worse for Canadian actor Jim Carrey, who is now facing a second wrongful-death lawsuit for the passing of his ex-girlfriend Cathriona White.
White’s mother, Brigid Sweetman, has filed the suit against Carrey, blaming him for the makeup artist’s 2015 suicide, claiming that he gave her several STIs while allegedly concealing his diagnosis and trying to get White to sign a document alleviating him of any responsibility.
According to court documents obtained by multiple outlets, Sweetman is seeking punitive damages, funeral and burial expenses and lawyer fees, among other damages, from Carrey. White’s husband at the time of her death, Mark Burton, filed a lawsuit against Carrey in September. Burton’s lawsuit alleges that Carrey obtained the pills White used to kill herself under a fake name in order to give them to his then-girlfriend.
READ MORE: Jim Carrey confirms girlfriend’s death: “We have all been hit with a lightning bolt”
Burton also says that Carrey failed to alert law enforcement authorities even though he supposedly had White under surveillance. The most harrowing charge against the actor is that the he tried to cover up her death, even sending a “bogus” text message to her after she was dead.
White’s mother, in her lawsuit, alleges that Carrey gave White “three STDs without warning her (herpes I, herpes II and chlamydia), lying to her about it, “dumping” her out of concern for saving his own carefully crafted public image, calling her a “whore” and shaming her, and then using his high-priced Hollywood lawyers and “fixers” to intimidate and threaten her in an effort to silence her.”
Carrey’s lawyer Martin D. Singer responded in a statement.
“It is understandable that a mother who has lost a daughter will look for someone to blame,” he said. “But in directing her grief and rage at Jim Carrey and joining this ridiculous lawyer’s attempt to capitalize on Cathriona’s suicide, Mrs. Sweetman is heading down the same dark path as Cathriona’s green-card ‘husband,’ Mark Burton.”
“On her 30th birthday, just a few days before her suicide, Cathriona White was distraught having received a message from her mother through Facebook that was so destructive and demoralizing that she instantly deleted her Facebook account so her mother could no longer contact her,” he continued. “Cathriona often lamented about her contentious relationship with her mother, how she was forced to leave home at the age of 15, and how they had been estranged for years.”
READ MORE: Jim Carrey responds to ‘evil’ lawsuit: I will not be exploited
Sweetman doesn’t refer to any bad blood she may have had with her deceased daughter.
“Jim Carrey should be ashamed of what he did to my daughter,” she said in a statement. “And he should be ashamed for how he has used his Hollywood attorneys to badmouth Cat’s husband Mark with the hope that nobody will hold him responsible for what he did. As a family, we want the world to know the truth about who Jim Carrey really is.”
According to the toxicology report, White took her own life at age 28 by overdosing on Carrey’s and her own prescription medication (a combination of sleeping pills, painkillers and beta blockers).
Carrey, 54, and White broke up in the summer of 2015, and White began to suffer severe emotional distress shortly afterwards. It turns out, as was revealed in the autopsy report, that the suicide note she left is actually directly addressed to Carrey.
Carrey released this statement shortly after her passing:
“I am shocked and deeply saddened by the passing of my sweet Cathriona. She was a truly kind and delicate Irish flower, too sensitive for this soil, to whom loving and being loved was all that sparkled. My heart goes out to her family and friends and to everyone who loved and cared about her. We have all been hit with a lightning bolt.”
The pair met in 2012 and started dating on-and-off until her death. Dennis Bradshaw, a close friend of White’s, told police that she was normally jovial and upbeat, but had periods of time when she was “really down.” White mentioned missing her family in Ireland, claimed Bradshaw, but said she was “madly in love with Jim” despite their “roller-coaster” relationship.
READ MORE: Jim Carrey lawsuit: Late girlfriend’s estranged husband sues for wrongful death
At the time it was filed, Carrey made a statement about Burton’s lawsuit.
“What a terrible shame,” Carrey wrote. “It would be easy for me to get in a back room with this man’s lawyer and make this go away, but there are some moments in life when you have to stand up and defend your honour against the evil in this world. I will not tolerate this heartless attempt to exploit me or the woman I loved. I really hope that some day soon people will stop trying to profit from this and let her rest in peace.”
That statement differs wildly from text messages between the couple that surfaced in Burton’s lawsuit papers: they seem to indicate that White was not feeling well and describes what might be symptoms of an STI. Carrey seems more concerned about avoiding an unwanted pregnancy.
READ MORE: Jim Carrey girlfriend autopsy report: Suicide note reveals tragic details
In February 2013, Burton says that White wrote Carrey about finding “a couple of bumps” and wanting to go get “checked.” Carrey responds, saying that he hopes White will be “OK.”
In the last released exchange, Carrey allegedly ensures that White is on birth control pills.
Michael Avenatti, Burton’s lawyer, calls the texts “recently uncovered evidence.”
“We have located nearly every text message, picture and email between them over the last four years by conducting a forensic examination of electronic media,” said Avenatti. “The evidence will show that Carrey and his handlers are not shooting straight with the media or the public.”
Singer’s reply to the STI accusations?
“The claim that Mr. Carrey gave Cathriona White an STD is categorically disputed,” Singer said, adding that White had wanted to reconcile with Carrey in November 2014. “This is a desperate, bogus claim.”
For legal reasons, Global News has not included imagery of the text messages. You can see them in their entirety here.
If you or someone you know is having suicidal thoughts, is in crisis or needs someone to talk to, you can find 24-hour help through the Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention.
With files from ET Canada
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