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.
Hollywood's Most Outrageous Lawsuits (Photos)
Between Lindsay Lohan firing back at Fox News, Mariah Carey allegedly short changing her domestic help, and Sly Stone winning millions after suing his ex-manager -- stars often turn to the courts to address their squabbles and strife.
Lindsay Lohan filed suit against Fox News and Sean Hannity on Feb. 2, 2015, after a news correspondent accused Lohan's mom of snorting cocaine with her troubled daughter. It didn't take long for Fox to fire back. “We will defend this case to the fullest,” the network told TheWrap the next day.
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A former nanny for Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon filed a lawsuit on Jan. 28, 2015, alleging she was fired after showing the couple's kids too much affection and did not receive overtime pay despite working 100 hours per week.
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Legendary funk artist Sly Stone won $5 million on Jan. 27, 2015, after suing his former manager and entertainment attorney for misappropriating royalties owed him for more than 20 years.
Former “Real Housewives of Orange County” executive producers Patrick Moses and Kevin Kaufman filed a suit against Bravo in Nov. 2014, claiming they were deceitfully ousted from the show and bilked out of millions of dollars after helping to create the show and the franchise.
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Jessie Nizewitz, a contestant on VH1’s “Dating Naked,” filed suit in New York in Aug. 2014, seeking $10 million in damages for emotional distress, humiliation and embarrassment after the show allegedly failed to properly blur her genitals.
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Octavia Spencer was awarded $940,000 in Dec. 2014 after claiming a weight loss company, Sensa Products Inc., wrongfully fired her from an endorsement deal and still owed her money.
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Former Tinder executive Whitney Wolfe filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against her former company June 2014, alleging she was repeatedly called a "whore" by CMO Justin Mateen and was stripped of her co-founder title simply for being a woman.
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Former TMZ producer Jarrett Gaeta slapped his former employer with a lawsuit in June 2014, claiming he was wrongly terminated. Gaeta was let go after a subordinate accused him of "racist behavior," including defending blackface and sending pictures of watermelons to African-American employees.
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CNN America was sued in Aug. 2014 by a pair of plaintiffs who claim that correspondent Arwa Damon bit one of them and threatened both during a drunken altercation at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad.
"Boardwalk Empire" actress Paz de la Huerta sued Lionsgate in Aug. 2014 claiming she was run over by an ambulance while filming "Nurse 3D." Lionsgate filed a motion to dismiss, which De La Huerta opposed on Jan. 23, 2015. Lionsgate then opposed her opposition on Jan. 30, 2015, in a seemingly neverending loop of opposing motions.
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Rapper Rakim Mayers, aka A$AP Rocky, was sued in civil court in June 2014 for allegedly assaulting a woman while making his way through a crowd during the 2013 Made in America Festival.
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Nicki Minaj’s former hairstylist and wig designer filed a $30 million lawsuit against the rapper in 2014 for allegedly stealing his wig designs and costing him a potential reality show. A judge later dismissed the case for lack of sufficient evidence.
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Kim Kardashian and Kanye West filed suit against YouTube founder Chad Hurley on Oct. 31, 2013, claiming he posted a video of the couple’s surprise engagement to his website without permission. The process was delayed when Hurley’s reps filed an anti-SLAPP motion in an attempt to have the case dismissed.
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Jahmel Binion filed a lawsuit against Shaquille O’Neal in July 2014 when O’Neal posted a photo to his Instagram account mocking Binion, who suffers from a rare condition that causes facial abnormalities, sparse hair and missing teeth. Binion claimed defamation, emotional distress and invasion of privacy in the $25,000 lawsuit, and after pressure from the public O’Neal apologized.
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In 2014 singer Chris Brown was mentioned in a lawsuit filed by the cousin of artist Frank Ocean. The defendant claimed Brown and an associate allegedly kicked and punched him when he confronted them about parking in a spot designated for Ocean at a Los Angeles recording studio. Ocean, who was also injured, later said he wouldn't seek criminal or civil penalties.
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From embezzlement to slander, there’s no shortage of celebrity court action
Between Lindsay Lohan firing back at Fox News, Mariah Carey allegedly short changing her domestic help, and Sly Stone winning millions after suing his ex-manager -- stars often turn to the courts to address their squabbles and strife.