Nick Carter Files Lawsuit Against His Sexual Assault Accusers For $2,350,000

Nick Carter filed a defamation lawsuit against his sexual assault accusers, claiming the allegations were just an attempt to extort money from him. 

In 2022, the Backstreet Boys member became broiled in horrific allegations when a woman named Shannon Ruth alleged he assaulted her when she was 17. The woman joined other accusers who claimed the singer had abused them at a young age.

According to new legal documents obtained by The Blast, Carter is suing the group for defamation noting he would not allow his name to be smeared by opportunists. He named his accusers — Ruth, Melissa Schuman Henschel, Jerome Schuman, A.R., and Doe @ElaineMoo Twitter Account Holder — as co-conspirators trying to "extort" money from him.

However, Carter has vehemently denied these allegations with his latest suit claiming the sexual assault case was a conspiracy orchestrated to harass him. He plans to clear his name and wants these alleged victims to pay a hefty price for their accusations. His lawsuit reads:

"Ruth and A.R.s' lawsuits are the culmination of an approximate five-year conspiracy orchestrated by Co-Conspirators to harass, defame, and extort Carter. The campaign was launched and bolstered by the #MeToo movement."

The documents noted the drama began when Schuman posted a "salacious blog entry" in November 2017 where she accused Carter of sexually assaulting her in 2003. Once her allegations came to light, the singer claimed she, her father, and Jerome recruited Ruth and A.R. into their defamation scheme. 

Schuman and Jerome allegedly groomed and coached Ruth to escalate her story from being bullied and physically harmed by Carter to being sexually assaulted. The legal filing accused the co-conspirators of previously attempting to extort money from him through civil attorneys.

However, the suit claimed these lawyers abandoned their client's pursuit after being presented with the evidence after re-examining their allegations. The Backstreet Boys singer also refused to negotiate with the alleged victims, a move he claims made them increase their "harassment."

"Thereafter, Schuman, Ruth, A.R., and Jerome snowballed their defamatory campaign into accusing Carter and others of participating in "cover-ups" and "victim bullying," the documents explained. 

The lawsuit mentions the accuser's use of his late brother, Aaron Carter, who was struggling with drug addiction and mental health issues at the time.

"In the months leading up to his recent death, Aaron not only apologized to Carter for his involvement in the [accusers] smear campaign but publicly stated that [accusers] were liars," the suit continued, adding:

"Aaron also confirmed and exposed [them] underlying conspiracy to defame and extort Carter, stating, 'Melissa Schuman incited a plan with her father to use me and my platform.'"

Carter is demanding damages of $2,350,000 for emotional distress, punitive damages, and attorney's fees.

As stated, Ruth lodged her complaints against Carter in December 2022, claiming he sexually assaulted her when she was 17. "The last 21 years have been filled with pain, confusion, frustration, shame, and self-harm that are a direct result of Nick Carter raping me," the alleged victim claimed in a press conference.

"Even though I'm autistic and live with cerebral palsy, I believe that nothing has affected me more or had a more lasting impact on my life than what Nick Carter did and said to me," Ruth continued, noting the singer verbally attacked her with defamatory slurs and left her with bruises on her arm.

She claimed it took years to come out because she was scared of going to jail but overcame this fear to stop Carter "from assaulting more teens and women." In his defense, the media personality's attorney, Michael Holtz, refuted Ruth's claims as false and "legally meritless."

"This claim about an incident that supposedly took place more than 20 years ago is not only legally meritless but also entirely untrue," Holtz explained. "Unfortunately, for several years now, Ms. Ruth has been manipulated into making false allegations about Nick – and those allegations have changed repeatedly and materially over time."

Carter's attorney also slammed Ruth's lawyers for pushing their client's narrative through the press. "No one should be fooled by a press stunt orchestrated by an opportunistic lawyer," he claimed. "There is nothing to this claim whatsoever, which we have no doubt the courts will quickly realize."