Jim Carrey could face trial over the death of his ex, Cathriona White. Photo/Getty
Jim Carrey could face trial over the death of his ex, Cathriona White. Photo/Getty
Jim Carrey will face trial over the death of his ex-girlfriend, a judge ruled today.
A judge has refused to throw out two wrongful death lawsuits which accuse Carrey of supplying the prescription drugs his ex-girlfriend used to kill herself with.
Cathriona White was found dead in her LA home on September 28, 2015, surrounded by empty bottles of painkillers Ambien, Propranolol and Percocet - drugs which were acquired by Carrey using the alias Arthur King, the lawsuits allege.
Now White's mother Brigid Sweetman and estranged Mark Burton are suing Carrey, accusing him of contributing to her death and violating the Drug Dealer Liability Act.
The Hollywood star's attorneys had called on a judge to dismiss the wrongful death lawsuits, saying that a trial would be "very painful' for his client and that the lawsuits" allegations were 'malicious' and 'predatory', MyNewsLA reports.
But Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Deirdre Hill indicated she would not throw out the suits and set a trial date to begin on April 26, 2018.
However, she said she would send the final ruling on Carrey's motion to strike to lawyers in due course, after she had more time to further study the case.
"Mr Carrey loved Ms White dearly and so obviously it will be a very painful process for him," the actor's attorney Raymond Boucher said after the hearing.
A judge has refused to throw out two wrongful death lawsuits which accuse Jim Carrey of supplying the prescription drugs his ex-girlfriend Cathriona White used to kill herself. Photo / via Supplied
In the courtroom, Boucher said that Carrey denied all the allegations, criticized the wording of the wrong death lawsuits for being too vague and argued the drugs charges fell outside the statute of limitations.
He added that the wrongful death allegation was also flawed because White had carefully planned her death and did not kill herself as a result of an "irresistible impulse." Her suicide was "an independent intervening force", separate from Carrey.
But White's heartbroken mother and estranged husband disagree and blame her death on the 55-year-old Ace Ventura star.
Ahmed Ibrahim, representing Sweetman and Burton added that the drugs allegations against Carrey wasn't the typical "selling drugs out of the back of his pickup" but said there was enough evidence against him to go to trial.
"In our view, enough is enough," he said.
Burton, who filed his suit on September 19, claims that Carrey used surveillance cameras outside White's LA home to keep track of her. His assistant knew she'd gone home on September 24, and hadn't left for more than a day, but neither she not Carrey called the cops, the suit alleged.
Sweetman, who filed her lawsuit on October 11, claims Carrey provided the prescription painkillers her daughter overdose on and also claims the Canadian-born star gave White three sexually transmitted diseases (STDs).
Carrey is alleged to have transmitted herpes type 1, herpes type 2 (genital herpes) and gonorrhea in 2013 and allegedly tested positive after providing the false name of Jose Lopez. He had pressured White to keep quiet about the STDs until her death.
When White confronted Carrey, he shamed her by calling her a "whore" and even threatened to silence her with the help of high-priced Hollywood lawyers and 'fixers', according to Sweetman's lawsuit.
Carrey demanded that the court strike out claims from Sweetman's lawsuit in December. Photo / Supplied
Carrey filed legal documents on December 19 demanding that the court to strike claims from Sweetman's lawsuit, saying the allegations she included were made for the sole purpose of harassing, embarrassing and humiliating him in an effort to shame him into an unmerited settlement.
The actor says that the statements regarding claims that he gave White STDs without warning, called her a "whore" and used "fixers" to silence her are "irrelevant" to the wrongful death case.
"A part of their attempt to shakedown Carrey for a multi-million dollar payday, Sweetman and her attorney have riddled the Complaint with severe ad hominem attacks and allegations about STDs, none of which are relevant to the cause of death," court documents say. "Hence, none of these allegations belong in the Complaint."
By having the claims struck from the lawsuit, Carrey will not have to prove that he did not give White STDs without warning, among other allegations.
He says in court documents that he and White were a loving couple and that he was "absolutely devastated" by her suicide on the third anniversary of her father's death, on September 28, 2015.
Carrey specifically points to two of White's suicide notes that she left him, saying that the letters show how much she loved him.
"White left Carrey two suicide notes speaking lovingly to him, requesting his forgiveness for ending her own life, describing him, and him alone, as her 'family', and entrusting him to divide her property," court documents read.
He noted that Sweetman is not mentioned was not mentioned in the notes.
Carrey claimed in legal documents that Sweetman filed her lawsuit in an attempt to profit from her daughter's suicide.
He has demanded that the court strike the majority of the allegations made in Sweetman's lawsuit, including allegations that he gave her STDs, that he reneged on paying for funeral costs and that he owned a private jet.
The actor says in court documents that the accusations were only included as a means of prejudicing the court or potential jury regarding his purported financial means. In Sweetman's wrongful death suit, an STD test submitted as evidence shows positive results for multiple diseases.
The Quest Diagnostics test belonging to 'Jose Lopez' and filed under seal has been seen by DailyMail.com and shows that 'Lopez' tested positive for Herpes I and II, Chalmidya and Hepatitis after being tested on January 28, 2013, with the results being reported three days later according to the test.
The date of birth for Lopez is listed as January 17, 1962, which is also Carrey's date of birth.
Sweetman and her attorney claim in court papers that "Jose Lopez" is Jim Carrey.
The results of the "Jose Lopez" test were submitted as evidence in the case in October.
"Jose Lopez" was the alias Carrey used for his medical records until September 3, 2013, when it was changed to 'Arthur King', the court documents state.
In text messages previously submitted in the case, White allegedly writes to Carrey concerned that she may have a sexually transmitted disease on February 20.
White wrote to Carrey about finding "a couple of bumps" and wanting to go get it 'checked' claims the initial complaint, which also includes screenshots of the text messages between the two.
Carrey wrote back a brief message saying that he hoped White would be 'OK' and told her to enjoy a shoot she is working on.
White then appears to become more nervous, responding to a text sent from Carrey by writing: "I understand your [sic] worried. Imagine how I am feeling right now. I am the one who should be freaking out."
In a note, White goes on to say that her 'blood is on your hands' after addressing Carrey, and says that he 'destroyed' her body. Photo / Supplied
She then stated that she is sure the bumps are "just the abrasion thing [Carey] was talking about."
Carrey responded to this by writing: "I hope your [sic] ok hun. It could be from someone before me. Doesn't show up until you're really stressed."
He then added that "it should be fine though."
White's ex-husband Mark Burton claimed in his initial complaint however that White was tested just before she began dating Carrey, so the STDs could not have come from another man.
When White then told Carrey this fact he "inexplicably" ended their relationship within hours according to the complaint
He sent her a text message saying, "You have become too much drama".
Sweetman claimed in her suit that Hollywood "fixers" forced White to stay silent, which caused her to struggle emotionally before she overdosed on Ambien, Percocet and Propranolol, which Sweetman accuses Carrey of providing to her.
She filed suit demanding general damages, economic damages, funeral and burial expenses, punitive damages and attorney fees.
Carrey's lawyer, Marty Singer, fired back at the lawsuit, calling it a "sham" and alleged that White and her mother had a broken relationship.
He claimed that White left home at 15 years old, and days before her suicide she cut off all contact with her mother following a "cruel birthday message Sweetman left for White days earlier".
Singer said in October: "This is just another desperate attempt by the attorney after Cathriona White's own family distanced themselves from this sham lawsuit yesterday.
"These distortions and false statements by the attorney do a disservice to Cathriona's memory and to the truth. Cat White's biological mother, Brigid Sweetman acknowledged in writing that she received death threats because people believed she was responsible for Cat's death.
"This latest attempt to create a diversion by the attorney from his meritless claims just shows how low he will stoop."
White, from Cappawhite, Co Tipperary, was found dead in her Los Angeles home in September 2015.
