Actor Jim Carrey is facing court action over allegations he failed to pay for insurance for workers at his New York art studio.

The Mask funnyman set up the Church of Ffc studio in 2011, but officials at the Big Apple's Workers' Compensation Board of the State of Ny claim he failed to invest in compensation insurance to cover his employees for the whole of 2012.

He was hit with a hefty fine of $72,000 (£46,450) by the board, but has allegedly failed to pay - and now he has been hit with a lawsuit in a bid to force him to hand over the cash.

However, a representative for the star insists the non-payment was a mistake, saying, "This is a clerical error on their part and will be cleared up immediately."