NOTE: The following article contains disturbing content. Please read at your own risk.
Backstreet Boys star Nick Carter has filed a $2.5 million (C$3.42 million) countersuit against one of several women who have accused him of rape and sexual assault.
Carter has denied all allegations made by Melissa Schuman, a former member of the girl group Dream, in her April 2023 lawsuit filed against him for sexual assault and battery. He is suing her for defamation and interference with existing and future business contracts.
Schuman told the court that the 44-year-old singer sexually assaulted and raped her in his Santa Monica, California, apartment in 2003 after administering a sedative. At the time, Carter (then 22) and Schuman (then 18) were co-workers filming the thriller. The Gap.
Carter’s countersuit was filed in California Superior Court in Los Angeles County on July 26, but has only now become public.
Through his lawyers, Carter said Schuman’s lawsuit caused him to lose $2.5 million in business partnership agreements with MeUndies, VRBO, Roblox and The Children’s Place, according to a Rolling Stone report. Carter also said that ticket sales for his shows have slowed as a result of this demand, leading to lower profits.
One concert venue canceled his appearance at the concert altogether, “costing Carter hundreds of thousands of dollars,” the lawsuit says.
Carter’s countersuit claims Schuman, who has a “thirst for Internet prominence,” has “falsely accused” him of wrongdoing. His suit claims Carter and Schuman had a “flirtatious” dynamic before they had consensual sex in 2003.
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Schuman first accused Carter of rape and sexual assault in a Blog entry since 2017.
Carter has also filed another defamation lawsuit against Schuman in Las Vegas. The suit claims Schuman and another of his accusers, Shannon Ruth, tarnished his public image with false accusations.
Ruth said Carter raped and sexually assaulted her when she was 17.
She said Carter invited her onto a tour bus after a Backstreet Boys concert in Tacoma, Washington, where she alleges he gave her alcohol and forced her to perform oral sex on him before raping her. Ruth also claims she contracted HPV from Carter.
Carter has called both women “opportunists” who are conspiring to take advantage of the #MeToo movement to extort, “smear and vilify” him for financial gain.
He said the Nevada lawsuit filed by Schuman and Ruth caused him and the Backstreet Boys to lose $2.3 million (about C$3.15 million) in business deals with companies like ABC and Roblox.
In a statement to Rolling Stone, Schuman’s attorney criticized both Carter’s countersuit in Nevada and his new one in California.
“Carter’s California countersuit makes the same arguments as his stalled Nevada lawsuit, and both show that his approach to defending sexual assault claims is to attack victims,” attorney Karen Barth Menzies told the outlet.
Schuman and Ruth appeared in the recently released docuseries. Fallen idols: Nick and Aaron Carter, where they again detailed their accusations against Carter.
At the time, Carter’s attorney called Schuman and Ruth, as well as accuser Ashley Repp, a “band of conspirators” with “outrageous claims.”
Repp alleged that Carter raped her when she was 15.
Carter has never faced criminal charges in connection with the sexual allegations against him.
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If you or someone you know is experiencing abuse or is involved in an abusive situation, please visit the Canadian Resource Centre for Victims of Crime For assistance, you can also contact them by calling the toll-free number 1-877-232-2610.
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