Actor Jim Carrey has described a legal case being taken against him in connection with the death of Tipperary woman Cathríona White as 'heartless'.
Ms White (30), who was in a relationship with Carrey, was found dead at her apartment in the Sherman Oaks area of Los Angeles on September 28th, 2015, after taking an overdose of prescription drugs.
Carrey is accused by Ms White's estranged husband, Mark Burton, of illegally providing Ms White with the drugs.
In papers filed in the superior court of Los Angeles, Mr Burton says Carrey used “his immense wealth and celebrity status to illegally obtain and distribute highly addictive and, in this case deadly, controlled substances”.
These drugs, says the lawsuit, had not been prescribed to Ms White.
The lawsuit also says Carrey provided the drugs “to his 30-year old-girlfriend Cathríona White” and “did so despite the fact he knew full well that Ms White (a) was ill-equipped to ingest and manage highly-addictive prescription drugs outside the care of a licensed physician; (b) prone to depression, and (c) had previously attempted to take her own life”.
The papers say Ms White’s death was “predictable and foreseeable”.
The lawsuit claims Carey illegally obtained prescription drugs while using the fake name “Arthur King”.
It says Carrey had an “obsession with controlling and manipulating White”.
After White’s death, Carrey tried to “conceal and obfuscate his involvement and culpability in Ms White’s untimely and tragic death,” it claims.
Carrey helped to carry Ms White’s coffin at her funeral in Cappawhite, Co Tipperary in October 2015.
In a statement, Carrey said: “What a terrible shame. 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. Cat’s troubles were born long before I met her and sadly her tragic end was beyond anyone’s control.
“I really hope that some day soon people will stop trying to profit from this and let her rest in peace.”
