The lawsuit against Jim Carrey is getting uglier.
The estranged husband of Carrey’s ex-girlfriend, Cathriona White, who fatally overdosed on pills a year ago, filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against Carrey in mid-September. The husband, Mark Burton, filed via his lawyer Michael Avenatti, saying Carrey provided the prescription medication to White, which ultimately led to her death.
One of the many accusations is that Carrey allegedly failed to alert law enforcement authorities even though he had White under surveillance. The most harrowing charge against Carrey is that the A-list star tried to cover up her death, even sending a “bogus” text message to her after she was dead.
READ MORE: Jim Carrey responds to ‘evil’ lawsuit: I will not be exploited
Now, more fuel has been added to the fire: Burton has released text messages to the New York Post, supposedly sent between Carrey and White.
In a December 2012 exchange, White is talking about the couple’s deceased parents and the candles she’s burning for them on Christmas, and Carrey allegedly interrupts the conversation with the question, “Have you thought about my c**k today?”
Some of the text messages seem to go on to indicate that White is concerned about contracting some sort of sexually transmitted infection (STI) from Carrey, who seems to mostly be concerned about avoiding an unwanted pregnancy.
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.”
READ MORE: Jim Carrey lawsuit: Late girlfriend’s estranged husband sues for wrongful death
In the last released exchange, Carrey allegedly ensures that White is on birth control pills.
Shortly thereafter, The Daily Mail reports, White discovered she had contracted herpes type 1, herpes type 2 and gonorrhea.
You can read the legal documents here:
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“Jim Carrey’s public persona is a fraud,” Burton said in a statement Thursday. “In reality, he is a guy who texts about his c**k in the same breath as deceased loved ones at Christmas.”
“This is a case about Jim Carrey using his immense wealth and celebrity status to illegally obtain and distribute highly addictive and, in this case, deadly, controlled substances,” the suit says.
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.
READ MORE: Jim Carrey girlfriend autopsy report: Suicide note reveals tragic details
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.”
Before she was found unresponsive, White sent one final tweet to her followers:
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.
Carrey isn’t planning on letting Burton’s lawsuit steamroll him.
“What a terrible shame,” Carrey wrote in a statement. “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,” Carrey wrote. “I really hope that some day soon people will stop trying to profit from this and let her rest in peace.”
READ MORE: Jim Carrey confirms girlfriend’s death: “We have all been hit with a lightning bolt”
Avenatti calls the texts “recently uncovered evidence,” and Burton plans to file them in the California wrongful death suit in the coming days.
“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.”
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.