Jim Carrey‘s lawyer would like it to be known that the star did not infect his deceased ex-girlfriend, Cathriona White, with any sexually transmitted diseases.
“The claim that Mr. Carrey gave Cathriona White an STD is categorically disputed,” Carrey’s attorney, Martin Singer, said in a statement Thursday, shortly after the claims were made. “This is a desperate, bogus claim made by the ‘husband’ of the sham marriage.”
White’s estranged ex-husband, Mark Burton, filed suit against Carrey earlier this week, claiming that the actor contributed to her suicide by giving her “highly addictive and, in this case deadly” drugs that he had illegally obtained under the name Arthur King. Singer has also denied those allegations.
In an amended complaint filed Thursday, Burton further claimed that Carrey transmitted gonorrhea and two forms of herpes to White, without telling her he was infected. Burton claims that Carrey tried to downplay White’s symptoms as aggravated follicles or bumps from vigorous sex and, later, the result of an “abrasion.” After undergoing testing and awaiting the results, Burton contends, “Carrey then attempted to suggest that she had contracted the diseases from someone else.”
In Thursday night’s statement, Singer accused Burton of wedding White in “an illegal sham marriage” to “evade immigration laws.” White was from Ireland.
“This is an outrageous act by Mr. Burton, who numerous witnesses will confirm engaged in an illegal sham marriage in violation of the Federal law prohibiting marriage fraud to evade immigration laws, after Cathriona White had asked numerous people — including my client — to marry her so she could stay in the country,” Singer said. “Ms. White admitted that it was a sham marriage, and numerous witnesses have confirmed that Ms. White even held a phony “wedding” with another man before Mr. Burton went through with the sham marriage, after which Ms. White and Mr. Burton lived in different states.
Calling the lawsuit a “shakedown attempt,” Singer added, “Mr. Burton will not get a penny because we will prove that the claims in the First Amended Complaint are false fabrications.”
Singer also claimed that, while the new allegations detail events that supposedly took place in 2013, White was eager to carry on a relationship with Carrey the following year.
“The conduct of the parties confirms that the allegations will be proven false. Significantly, the alleged text messages referred to were sent in 2013, yet in November of 2014, Ms. White sought out my client and asked him to continue a serious relationship,” Singer said. “If he had engaged in the alleged horrible conduct, why would she reach out and request that they continue to stay together? In fact, they were even working out a cohabitation agreement, as they were living together for the most part up until her death.”
Shortly after Singer issued his denial Thursday night, Burton issued his own statement, saying, “Mr. Carrey and his handlers need to stop with the lies and deception — enough is enough. Do they really expect people to ignore the text messages and the handwritten letter in Cat’s own words?”
Pamela Chelin contributed to this report.