Losing a loved one is difficult. It can take years to come to terms with the gap in your life caused by such a loss. While nothing can bring a spouse or child back to life, holding negligent parties responsible for the death can help you and your family move on with emotional healing.
Those who’ve lost a loved one as a result of the negligence of another can therefore understand what Brigid Sweetman is going through. The mother of Cathriona White is suing Hollywood’s funny man, Jim Carrey, for the wrongful death of her daughter.
Cathriona is believed to have committed suicide by taking a lethal amount of prescription medicine. The drugs included Propranolol, Percocet and Ambien. The 28 year old did not have a prescription for any of the drugs at the time. This has raised questions as to where she got these drugs.
Star-struck love
At the time of her death, Cathriona was seeing Jim Carrey and had divorced her husband, Mark Burton. The Irish make-up artist started seeing Carrey in 2012 until her recent death. Two of her friends found her dead in her home with bottles of prescription pills that bore the name Arthur King on them. The autopsy report confirmed her death was due to a drug overdose.
Sweetman claims her daughter took her own life as a result of the distress caused by being diagnosed with three sexually transmitted infections, which Sweetman believes Carrey gave her daughter. Sweetman also believes that Carrey provided her daughter with the means to commit suicide by giving her prescription medicine that he illegally obtained for her.
Carrey and his team of lawyers claim that the wrongful-death lawsuit all boils down to a mother who has lost a daughter and is seeking someone to blame. Carrey claims that the prescription pills were for him and Cathriona must have stolen them from him before she committed suicide.
Is the claim valid?
Wrongful death claims apply when a person’s death can be attributed to the negligence of the party being sued. Some cases have found liability where the defendant’s actions or lack of action led to the premature demise of the person.
The validity of such claims are judged on a case by case basis. It is up to the jury and/or the court to decide if the defendant’s actions or lack of action somehow caused or contributed to the victim’s death. For this reason, plaintiffs need the assistance of an experienced attorney to obtain justice for their loved ones.
In West Virginia, the Robinette Legal Group, PLLC represents victims of catastrophic personal injuries and wrongful death claims.
