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Backstreet Boys’ Nick Carter Slams Woman Accusing Him of Sexual Assault

February 2, 2023

Nick Carter says the woman who accused him of sexual assault more than 21 years ago – when she was a minor – deliberately drags her name through the mud with a series of lies… and he’s now suing her in court for more than 2, $35 million, he says it cost his boy band.

The Backstreet Boys member filed his countersuit on Thursday against Shannon Ruth. TMZ broke the story, Ruth originally for follow-up Nick in December, claiming he sexually assaulted her after a concert in 2001, when she was underage.

In new legal documents, obtained by TMZ, Nick says he won’t get smeared by Ruth’s accusations, which he vehemently denies, and says his trial is the culmination of a years-long conspiracy to knock him down.

Melissa Schuman

Nick says Ruth was coached by a father and daughter, jerome and Melissa Schuman, to make false statements about him as part of an extortion attempt. He also castigates the 3 for trying to take advantage of the #MeToo movement.

Carter says Ruth changed her story over and over again… he says she first claimed she was abused by someone else, then claimed Nick physically assaulted her and finally accused Nick of sexual assault. Nick says the Schumans “persuaded” Ruth to “inflate” her allegations.

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Nick points out that Ruth waited years to report her allegations of sexual abuse, and he says an independent investigation did not result in any criminal charges. He says Ruth tried to extort him through civilian lawyers, who dropped his case when faced with cold, hard facts.

Nick says that following Ruth’s lawsuit, the Backstreet Boys had to cancel appearances and sponsorship deals, costing them more than $2.35 million.

aaron nick carter

And get this – Nick says his late brother, Aaron Carter, was also drawn into the plot. Nick claims Ruth and the Schumans attacked Aaron before his deathwhen he met Nick and was on drugs, exploiting “Aaron’s fragile condition and family stress to credibly cover up their smear campaign, relentlessly and repeatedly using Aaron to try to legitimize their frivolous stories.”

But, Nick says Aaron eventually realized he was being used and manipulated by Ruth and the Schumans, apologizing to Nick and publicly stating the accusers were lying.

On the day Aaron died, Nick claims Jérôme Schuman tweeted… “I’m sad that the game of chess we started together was never finished.”

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When TMZ called Nick’s attorney, Michael Holtzhe told us: “As our counterclaim sets out in detail, Nick was the target of a long-standing and malicious conspiracy. He never did the outrageous things he was accused of; in fact, he is the victim of a calculated and concerted disinformation campaign aimed at destroying its reputation.”

Holtz continues, “He’s eager to expose the truth, vindicate himself in court, and put an end to the libels and recasting attempts for good.”

We’ve reached out to Ruth’s lawyers for comment… so far, no response.