Jim Carrey and Cathriona White
A new lawsuit filed by the Mark Burton, the estranged husband of comedian Jim Carrey’s late girlfriend Cathriona White, alleges that Carrey illegally obtained prescription drugs and gave them to White.
White committed suicide via an overdose of prescription pills in September 2015, and she had a history of mental instability. According to Burton’s suit, Carrey gave her illegally obtained prescription drugs “despite the fact that he knew full well that Ms. White was ill equipped to ingest and manage highly addictive prescription drugs outside the care of a licensed physician; was prone to depression; and had previously attempted to take her own life.” Burton is suing Carrey for wrongful death and violation of the drug dealer liability act.
Allegedly, Carrey obtained drugs that contributed to White’s overdose, including Ambien, Propranolol and Percocet. The drugs came from pill bottles bearing the name “Arthur King,” which the suit alleges was Carrey’s pseudonym.
Carrey responded to the suit, saying that it was a “heartless attempt” to profit from his ex-girlfriend’s death, exploiting him, his fame, and White’s close relationship to him. Carrey was a pallbearer at White’s funeral, and gave Us Weekly a heartbreaking statement at the time of her death.
“I am shocked and deeply saddened by the passing of my sweet Cathriona,” Carrey said. “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 everyone who loved and cared about her. We have all been hit with a lightning bolt.”
Burton and White were not in a relationship at the time of White’s death, but Burton says that their relationship status is irrelevant to the case.
Photo via People.com