Back in 2017, the family of Cathriona White, the ex-girlfriend of actor Jim Carrey, decided to sue the actor for wrongful death. White died of a prescription drug overdose in 2015, and her mother Brigid Sweetman, and estranged husband Mark Burton alleged that Carrey introduced her to drugs and gave her herpes.
A note reportedly written by White claims that Carrey introduced her to “cocaine, prostitutes, mental abuse, and disease.” The note also stated that Carrey “broke me down as a person” and “absorbed anything worthwhile that was left of me.”
Jim Carrey denied all allegations against him
After the news broke out, Jim Carrey denied all the allegations, and revealed his decision to counter-sue White’s family, claiming that they are trying to extort money from him. He described the entire case as a “heartless attempt to exploit.”
In addition to the wrongful death lawsuit, White’s family also accused Carrey of intentional infliction of emotional distress. They claimed that The Mask actor’s actions caused White to suffer severe emotional distress, which contributed to her death.
The note allegedly written by White was a key piece of evidence in the case against Carrey. The note was handwritten, and it is dated April 2013. In it, White wrote about certain aspects of her on-and-off relationship with Carrey since 2012 and included quite graphic and disturbing content. It provided a glimpse into White’s state of mind at the time of her death and raised some serious questions about Carrey’s behavior.
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Jim Carrey did not face trial over Cathriona’s Wife’s death
Interestingly, the coroner’s officials declared White’s death to be a suicide. The case was set to go to trial in the spring of 2015 but was dismissed on January 25th. The reasons for the dismissal were not clear, but Carrey’s lawyer said that he was “extremely grateful” to everyone who supported him throughout the case.
When asked about his thought on his deceased ex-girlfriend, Carrey described White as a “truly kind and delicate Irish flower, too sensitive for this soil.” Moreover, Carrey was the pallbearer at her funeral which took place in the village of Cappawhite.
Sweetman and Burton’s lawyer, Michael Avenatti, said that his clients were “pleased” that the case had been resolved. However, he did not provide any further details about the circumstances that led to the dismissal. The dismissal of the lawsuit was a major victory for Carrey, who was accused of introducing White to drugs and inflicting mental distress.
