Lawyers for the actor Jim Carrey have criticised new allegations in a wrongful-death lawsuit which claim he gave sexually transmitted diseases to his ex- girlfriend Cathriona White.
Carrey is being sued by Ms White's estranged husband Mark Burton over claims he illegally provided the Irish make-up artist with prescription drugsinvolved in her suicide.
An amended lawsuit filed with the Los Angeles Superior Court alleges Ms White learnt that Carrey had given her herpes type 1, herpes type 2 (genital herpes) and gonorrhoea in 2013, and that he pressured her to keep quiet. In response to the latest claims, Carrey's lawyer Martin Singer said the accusation that his client gave Ms White an STI was "bogus" and "categorically disputed".
"My client will not pay money to end this opportunist's transparent shakedown lawsuit, and this malicious case will be dismissed," Mr Singer said. "Mr Carrey has suffered a great deal in the last year with the suicide of the woman he dearly loved, and it is outrageous that he should be subjected to this predatory lawsuit."
Ms White, from Cappawhite, Co Tipperary, was found dead at her Los Angeles home in September 2015 after overdosing on prescription drugs.
In the lawsuit, Mr Burton claims Carrey used his "immense wealth and celebrity status" to illegally obtain Ambien, Propranolol and Percocet that caused Ms White's death.
The complaint alleges that Carrey provided drugs to Ms White despite knowing she was "ill-equipped" to take them, prone to depression and she had previously tried to take her own life.
According to the amended lawsuit, filed by Mr Burton's lawyer Michael Avenatti, Ms White sent text messages to Carrey in 2013 saying that she suspected she had contracted an STI.
Carrey, 54, attempted to downplay her symptoms and later suggested she could have contracted them from someone else, the complaint states.
Mr Avenatti also shared a letter that White wrote Carrey in 2013 and says she has been called a "whore," an "opportunist," and an "ungrateful b****" by Carrey.
Burton released a statement saying he would not continue to "stand idly by while Mr Carrey and his handlers deceive the world about what they did to Cat."
"How dare they invoke her memory in an effort to save Mr Carrey's false persona," he said. "This is a search for the truth and people will now learn about the real Jim Carrey and his treatment of women.
"I urge other women who have been exploited and injured by him and his reckless behaviour to come forward and tell their stories," he said.
Where to get help
• Lifeline: 0800 543 354 (available 24/7) • Suicide Crisis Helpline: 0508 828 865 (0508 TAUTOKO) (available 24/7) • Youthline: 0800 376 633 • Kidsline: 0800 543 754 (available 24/7) • Whatsup: 0800 942 8787 (1pm to 11pm) • Depression helpline: 0800 111 757 (available 24/7) If it is an emergency and you feel like you or someone else is at risk, call 111.
