Jim Carrey hits back

Jim Carrey has hit out at "defamatory" statements made against him by Cathriona White’s husband.

The 54-year-old actor has slammed Mark Burton – who is suing the star for the wrongful death of the make-up artist, who took her own life in September 2015 – after he claimed Jim gave Cathriona three sexually-transmitted diseases (STDs) and ended their relationship when she confronted him about it.

Mark’s lawyer Michael J. Avenatti told PEOPLE: "Jim Carrey and his ‘fixers’ are trying to distract people away from the fact that Carrey gave Cat three STDs, lied about it, dumped her, called her a w***e (her words), and then gave her illegal drugs that she overdosed on."

But Jim’s lawyer Marty Singer responded by saying: "Mr. Avenatti’s statements are defamatory. He is trying to deflect from the fact that his client has no right to sue by sending to the media carefully edited texts with significant redactions."

Singer, previously insisted the STD claims are "bogus" and insisted his famous client won’t be handing over any money.

He said in a statement: "The claim that Mr. Carrey gave Cathriona White an STD is categorically disputed.

"This is a desperate, bogus claim made by the ‘husband’ of the sham marriage. My client will not pay money to end this opportunist’s transparent shakedown lawsuit, and this malicious case will be dismissed.

"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."

The messages, from 2013, were included in an amendment to Mark’s lawsuit earlier this month to include the allegation Cathriona was suicidal because of the STDs she believed to have contracted from Jim.

The lawsuit also claims Jim used his "immense wealth and celebrity status to illegally obtain and distribute highly addictive" drugs under a false name of Arthur King and supplied them to Cathriona.

But Mr. Singer insisted the actor’s then-girlfriend "stole" the medication from his client.

He said in a statement: "Jim never supplied his prescription medications to Ms. White. Ms. White stole his prescription medications from him.

"Significantly, my client’s prescriptions were legally obtained medications that were prescribed to him by his doctor in accordance with routine practices that are used all the time, and which are regularly used by SAG members and others with the knowledge of their doctors and insurers, to protect the privacy of well-known individuals."

And he slammed the lawsuit as an "abhorrent money-grab scheme", insisting Burton is attempting to "cash in" on Cathriona’s death.

He added: "It is despicable that Burton, who claims to have been Ms. White’s husband but never lived with her and did not even reside in the same state she did, now comes forward trying to cash in on her death.

"We are confident that the court will see through this abhorrent money-grab scheme."