A judge has refused to dismiss two wrongful death lawsuits filed against actor Jim Carrey by the mother and estranged husband of his former partner Cathriona White.
Irish make-up artist White, who was 30, was found to have taken a number of different prescription painkillers before her death in September 2015.
Her mother, Brigid Sweetman, and estranged husband Mark Burton, allege that Carrey illegally supplied the pills she used for her overdose.
The actor's lawyers previously asked to have the lawsuits thrown out, describing them as "predatory" and "malicious", but Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Deirdre Hill has, instead, set a trial date for April 26 2018. But she also said this is not her final decision and that she needs more time to consider the case.
Carrey's attorney, Raymond Boucher, has criticised the lawsuits for their vagueness, saying they do not make it clear whether his client is being accused of negligence or whether the death was a deliberate act.
"I need clarity and that's fair," Boucher said, reports MyNewsLa.com.
Burton's original complaint, filed last year, claimed: "Carrey wrongfully and illegally obtained these drugs in clear violation of California law."
It also claimed the actor had attempted to: "conceal and obfuscate his involvement and culpability in Miss White's untimely, tragic death".
In a statement issued at the time, Carrey said of the lawsuits: "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 honour against the evil in this world."
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