Nick Carter hit back at a woman who accused him of sexual harassment

Nick Carter filed a counterclaim on Thursday against the woman who accused him of sexually abusing him when he was 17.

Shannon Ruth filed the first lawsuit in Clark County, Nevada, against the Backstreet Boys singer on December 9. She claimed that Carter raped her on the band’s bus in Tacoma, Washington, during the group’s concerts in 2001. Black blue tour. THE civil complaint As a result of the alleged assault, Ruth contracted human papillomavirus, or HPV, which can cause genital warts and even cancer.

In Counter-suit on Thursday, also filed in Clark County, Carter denied Ruth’s claims. The lawsuit alleges that Ruth “perpetuated a series of lies designed to damage Carter’s reputation and ability to make a living.” The counterclaim added that Ruth’s lawsuit was part of an approximately five-year conspiracy to “harass, defame and extort” the singer.

“Protecting your reputation and name by calling a liar a liar is not victim-blaming or bullying. He is simply telling the truth,” the counterclaim states. “These opportunists sought to place themselves in the spotlight and destroy innocent lives.”

Carter is seeking more than $2.35 million in damages, according to the lawsuit, which it claims is the same amount Carter and the Backstreet Boys lost following Ruther’s lawsuit. The counterclaim alleged that the band had five promotional events and contracts or endorsement deals with organizations such as ABC, Good morning America, MeUndies, Vrbo and Roblox were canceled due to Ruth’s claims.

The countersuit also accuses Melissa Schuman and her father, Jerome Schuman, of manipulating Ruth into “false claims.” In 2017, Schuman accused Carter of raping her in his apartment in 2002 after getting her drunk. Carter responded, claiming the sex was consensual he was not accused of sexual harassment.

Schuman did not indict Carter, he explains in a blog post that she “didn’t have the money, influence, or access to a lawyer strong enough to stand up to my abuser’s legal counsel.”

The countersuit alleges that Melissa, Jermone and Ruth used the #MeToo movement and Carter’s late brother Aaron, who died on Nov. 5, as part of a conspiracy to exploit him.

“Schuman, Jerome and Ruth took advantage of Aaron’s fragile state and family stress to give credibility to their smear campaign, relentlessly and repeatedly using Aaron to legitimize their frivolous tales,” the counterclaim states.

Schuman did not immediately respond to BuzzFeed News’ request for comment on Thursday’s countersuit.

In Ruth’s original trial, Carter was also accused of sexually abusing three other Jane Does, including a 15-year-old. Ruth sought unspecified punitive damages and damages for medical expenses, pain and suffering. He is autistic and lives with cerebral palsy, a disorder that affects movement and coordination.

“The past 21 years have been filled with pain, confusion, frustration, shame and self-harm as a direct result of being raped by Nick Carter,” Ruth said at a news conference. “After he raped me, I remember him calling me a ‘retarded bitch’, grabbing me and leaving bruises on my arm.

In response to Carter’s counterclaim, Ruth’s attorney Mark Boskovich questioned the singer’s credibility, as he had previously been accused of sexual harassment.

“Why should Nick Carter be believed with his long history of abusing women? The jury will weigh the evidence and make a decision,” Boskovich said in a statement to BuzzFeed News on Thursday.