LOS ANGELES, June 6 (Xinhua) -- Former stand-up comedian and international Hollywood film star, Jim Carrey, is not laughing now. U.S. Judge Deirdre Hill has ruled that she would not dismiss the wrongful death suit against Carrey pertaining to the death of his former girlfriend, Cathriona White. Furthermore, she ruled on Tuesday that White's assertions that Carrey infected her with his venereal diseases would not be withdrawn.
CARREY ACCUSED PERTAINING TO EX-GIRLFRIEND'S SUICIDE
Carrey, best known for his exaggerated, wacky comedies such as "Liar Liar", "Dumb and Dumber" and "Ace Ventura", at one time earned the star 10 and 20 million U.S. dollars per picture.
His on-again-off-again ex-girlfriend, Irish-born Cathriona White, died of a prescription drug overdose in September 2015, in what was later ruled a suicide. Her mother, Brigit Sweetman, and White's estranged husband, Marc Burton, are suing Carrey for her wrongful death, alleging that he violated the Drug Dealer Liability Act and provided White with his own prescription drugs with which she ended her life.
They have also submitted evidence to the court to show that Carrey knowingly infected White with his incurable venereal diseases, then called her a "whore" before abruptly ending their relationship with a breakup text just hours after she confronted him about infecting her, saying she had "become too much drama." Sweetman and Burton claim that Carrey then had his Hollywood "fixers" force White to remain silent to protect his career.
JUDGE REFUSES TO WITHDRAW STD LAWSUIT
Carrey released a statement saying the claims are "irrelevant" to the wrongful death case and instructed his attorney, Raymond Boucher, to submit a motion for the court to strike them from Sweetman's lawsuit. Boucher contends that the allegations are outside the scope of the lawsuit and are an unwarranted invasion into Carrey's privacy. The allegations were simply made for harassing, embarrassing and humiliating Carrey in an effort to shame him into an unmerited financial settlement with Sweetman and Burton.
The judge has refused Boucher's motion to strike this information, citing that the comic's privacy was not a top priority in a wrongful death case. This is a blow to Carrey's defense. Under California law, knowingly inflicting an STD without that person's consent constitutes a cause of intentional infliction of emotional and physical distress, a factor that can be revelant in the resulting suicide.
Carrey has told the press that he and White were a loving couple and he was "absolutely devastated" by her suicide on the third anniversary of her father's death.
However, White's last words in one of her suicide notes reveal a different story: "...Jim Carrey, my blood is on your hands. I hope you remember how much I loved you and would have done anything for you and in return your actions ruined me."
DOMESTIC PROBLEM NOT NEW IN HOLLYWOOD
Her dying allegations shocked many in Hollywood, who were stunned to hear of Carrey's purported dark side. Domestic problems between celebrity couples are not uncommon in high stress Hollywood circles, where the worst side of one's nature can be played out in the glare of a global spotlight.
But when a death is involved, there's an added layer of complexity. In addition to a tragic loss of life, the stakes for the surviving member of the couple get immeasurably higher, and the whole affair can have a devastating impact on the life and career of any one implicated in the death, such as the fallout from suspicious death of actress and heiress Anna Nicole Smith in 2007.
One Hollywood insider who chose to speak off the record, revealed that "Hollywood is all about optics, and being implicated in a suspicious death, innocent or not, can easily torpedo an actor's career."
Hollywood even tends to take a dim view when a star exhibits abusive language and behavior. Superstar Mel Gibson was exiled for nearly a decade for his highly publicized anti-Semitic and sexist rant while intoxicated. In fact, Gibson only recently made his comeback with his well received, Academy-winning drama, Hacksaw Ridge.
Fame is a fragile thing and the Hollywood powers-that-be are fickle. Many stars, rightly or wrongly, are regarded as heroes and role models by the public, and as valuable spokespersons or bankable brand-names by the studios and networks. Violent, prejudiced, abusive, or otherwise unacceptable behaviors can disillusion or disgust their fans, and make a former star undesirable to studio executives and even become "box office poison."
CARREY'S CAREER INFLUENCED BY UPCOMING TRIAL
In the meantime, as his trial moves ahead, the jury is still out on how Jim Carrey's alleged behavior toward his former girlfriend will affect his career in the entertainment industry.
With no feature films currently in production, Carrey has turned to writing and producing for an original Showtime television series about the cut-throat LA comedy scene in the 1990s and is ironically titled "I'm Dying Up Here."
With Judge Hill's recent rulings against him and the trial set to begin on April 2018, it may be his career that ends up on the slab.
