Jim Carrey used his “immense wealth and celebrity status” to illegally obtain prescription drugs and gave them to his girlfriend Cathriona White, who would later overdose on them—at least that’s what a new wrongful death lawsuit is claiming about the actor.
The lawsuit, filed Monday by White’s estranged husband Mark Burton, alleges that Carrey illegally obtained Ambien, propranolol (a beta blocker), and Percocet and gave them to White despite her history of depression.
Carrey used the alias “Arthur King” to obtain the meds, according to the lawsuit, which is a crime in California.
Burton says Carrey “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.”
The 54-year-old actor “directly and proximately” caused White “mental and physical distress, which resulted in her untimely death,” Burton alleges.
Carrey is also accused of attempting to cover up his tracks after White’s death, by sending a text message to her phone asking where his pills had gone, “insinuating White may have taken them without his knowledge.”
Burton is seeking damages for wrongful death, attorney fees, and funeral and burial expenses.
Cathriona White was found dead in her Los Angeles home last September. According to Burton’s lawsuit, the coroner ruled her cause of death as a lethal overdose of prescription drugs including Ambien, propranolol, and a “massive dose” of Percocet.
Pill bottles discovered in her home were made out to “Arthur King,” Carrey’s alleged alias. Carrey and White had broken up just days before she overdosed.
The couple dated on and off between 2012 and 2015. It’s unclear if Burton and White were separated or divorcing at the time of her death, according to CNN.
The actor released a statement responding to the lawsuit on Monday night. “Cat’s troubles were born long before I met her and sadly her tragic end was beyond anyone’s control,” he said. “I really hope that some day soon people will stop trying to profit from this and let her rest in peace.”