Jim Carrey is being sued for allegedly providing prescription drugs that had led to the death of Cathriona White, his ex-girlfriend, reports NBC News. White was found dead in her Los Angeles home in 2015. A mix of Ambien, propranolol, and Percocet was later discovered in her system. Coroner's officials ruled that the 30-year-old makeup artist had committed suicide.
Mark Burton, White's husband, filed the lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court on Monday. The suit claims that Carrey, using the alias "Arthur King," had improperly obtained a number of prescription drugs such as oxycodone, a very potent opioid. Burton's lawyers also noted that, when White's body was found, bottles of Ambien, propranolol, and Percocet were discovered in her room, and that the drugs had been prescribed under Carrey's alias.
Marty Singer, Carrey's attorney, said that his client had obtained the drugs legally. He noted that, for privacy reasons, it's common practice for celebrities to get prescriptions while using an alias.
Burton's suit alleges that Carrey had given White the prescriptions just days before her death, thus making Carey liable for her death. The suit said that Carrey had acted with "reckless disregard of causing serious harm and injury," as White had a history of depression, reports KTLA.
The allegations get pretty weird. One claim says that Carrey had installed security cameras at White's home, and that, through these cameras, Carrey's assistant was monitoring her movements, according to USA Today. Burton also alleged that, after White was dead, Carrey had sent her a bogus text that asked her if she'd seen his prescription bottles—basically Burton is saying that Carrey had planted this piece of evidence for investigators to find.
A coroner's official told NBC News that, at the time of White's death, Burton and White had separated and were planning to divorce. Carrey and White had dated in 2012. After breaking up, they were spotted together again in 2015. Burton and White were married in 2013. Carey was a pallbearer at White's funeral in Ireland.
On late Monday, Carrey sent a statement to USA Today that addressed the lawsuit. In part of the statement he said:
I will not tolerate this heartless attempt to exploit me or the woman I loved. [White'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.
