Jim Carrey has released a statement after being sued for wrongful death by the estranged husband of his late girlfriend Cathriona White.
A coroner previously ruled that Cathriona, a native of Tipperary, took her own life Los Angeles last September, but Mark Burton, who was still married to Cathriona at the time of her death, has contradicted the ruling.
Filing a case against Jim Carrey, Burton claims Mr. Carrey provided Cathriona with prescription medication, saying: "Carrey wrongfully and illegally obtained these drugs in clear violation of California law."
Further to this, he accused Carrey of trying to "conceal and obfuscate his involvement and culpability in Miss White's untimely and tragic death".
Speaking out in the aftermath of the legal filing, the 54-year-old actor released a statement denying all accusations.
"What a terrible shame. It would be easy for me to get in a back room with this man's lawyer and make this go away, but there are some moments in life when you have to stand up and defend your honor against the evil in this world," it read.
"I will not tolerate this heartless attempt to exploit me or the woman I loved. Cat's troubles were born long before I met her and sadly her tragic end was beyond anyone's control," the star insisted.
"I really hope that some day soon people will stop trying to profit from this and let her rest in peace," he added.
Speaking to E!, legal expert, Troy Slaten, offered his assessment of the case, saying: "To prevail in this civil wrongful death lawsuit, the plaintiff must prove that Jim Carrey was the 'proximate cause' of this woman's death."
"In order for the police to investigate Jim Carrey on this matter, they have to believe that, one, a crime occurred and, two, Carrey likely committed the crime." Troy continued.
"After the police fully investigate a case, they present it to the district attorney with a recommendation. It's up to the district attorney to decide whether and what kind of criminal charges are to be filed."
"Even if Jim Carrey loses this lawsuit, he does not face any jail time arising out of this civil litigation." he added.
