Nick Carter countersues woman accusing him of sexual battery
LOS ANGELES - Singer Nick Carter is countersuing the woman accusing him of sexual assault with a lawsuit for more than $2.35 million, TMZ reports.
Carter claims the woman, Shannon Ruth, was coached by former pop singer Melissa Schuman, who accused Carter of sexual assault in 2018, along with her father, to make the false claims about him as part of an extortion attempt, according to court documents obtained by TMZ. Carter further calls it a smear campaign, calling her lawsuit the end result of a years-long conspiracy to "take him down."
Los Angeles prosecutors decided not to pursue sexual assault charges against Carter in Schuman's case where she accused him of raping her more than 15 years ago. Charges were not pursued because the statute of limitations had expired, officials said.
Court documents filed by Carter further allege Ruth and the Schumans were trying to take advantage of the #MeToo movement, and that Ruth has changed her story several times, first claiming she was abused by someone else at a 2001 Backstreet Boys concert, then claiming it was Carter who was responsible.
Ruth had announced her lawsuit against Carter in December 2022. She accused him of sexually assaulting her after a concert in 2001 when she was 17-years-old.
"I pleaded with him over and over again to stop," Ruth said during a press conference announcing the lawsuit. "I was so upset that I cried throughout the ordeal. Afterward, he called me a ‘******* little b**ch’ and threatened me, saying no one would believe me and I’d go to jail if I told what happened. He also said he’d turn people against me because he’s Nick Carter and he would wreck my life."
Ruth said she later contracted the sexually transmitted infection known as HPV, documents revealed.
That lawsuit was filed on behalf of three others, identified as Jane Doe 1, Jane Doe 2, and Jane Doe 3. According to the lawsuit, Doe 1 and Doe 2 accuse Carter of sexual abuse in 2003, while Doe 3 accuses Carter of sexual assault in 2006.
Carter has denied all allegations.