Nick Carter is fighting back against his rape accusers in a court of law, claiming he is a victim of extortion and defamation.
Page Six obtained a countersuit the Backstreet Boys member, 43, filed on Thursday against Shannon Ruth and Melissa Schuman, alleging the two women orchestrated a sexual misconduct conspiracy in order to extort him.
Ruth and her attorneys held a press conference in December 2022, in which she accused Carter of raping her when she was 17 years old in the back of a tour bus in 2001.
Schuman, a band member of the early aughts pop group Dream, alleged in 2017 that the “I Want It That Way” singer sexually assaulted her when she was 18 years old.
Carter claims in his countersuit that Ruth and Schuman were allegedly involved in a “five-year conspiracy” to “harass, defame and extort” him, which began with a “salacious” blog entry written by the “He Loves You Not” singer amid the #MeToo movement.
Carter alleges that Schuman and her father, Jerome Schuman, then “groomed and coached” a “vulnerable and highly impressionable” Ruth, who is autistic, to “inflate” her initial claims about being abused by a third party and instead make it about him.
The “Shape of My Heart” singer notes that he has not been criminally charged for either of the alleged crimes.
“Carter made no offers to settle and refused to negotiate anything with Schuman or Ruth, not even when they specifically solicited a ‘low-ball offer,’” his attorneys also pointed out in the countersuit.
They then allege that “Schuman, Ruth, and Jerome snowballed their defamatory campaign into accusing Carter and others of participating in ‘cover ups’ and ‘victim bullying.’”
Carter also accuses the Schumans and Ruth of preying on his brother, Aaron Carter, who died of a suspected drug overdose in November 2022.
“Schuman, Jerome, and Ruth exploited Aaron’s fragile condition and family stresses to cloak their defamatory campaign with credibility, relentlessly and repeatedly using Aaron to try to legitimize their frivolous tales,” the “Quit Playing Games” singer alleges.
Attorneys for the Schumans and Ruth did not immediately return Page Six’s request for comment.
However, Nick’s attorney Michael Holtz tells us, “As our Counterclaim sets out in detail, Nick has been the target of a malicious and long-running conspiracy.”
“He has never done the outrageous things of which he has been accused; in fact, he is the victim of a calculated and concerted disinformation campaign designed to destroy his reputation,” the lawyer continues.
“He looks forward to setting out the truth, vindicating himself in court, and putting an end to the smears and attempted shakedowns for good.”
Ruth, who is now 39, alleged in an emotional statement at her 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.”
However, Nick has always maintained his innocence, telling Page Six exclusively via Holtz after the tearful briefing, “This claim about an incident that supposedly took place more than 20 years ago is not only legally meritless but also entirely untrue.”
“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,” the lawyer added at the time.
“No one should be fooled by a press stunt orchestrated by an opportunistic lawyer — there is nothing to this claim whatsoever, which we have no doubt the courts will quickly realize.”
The post Nick Carter countersues rape accusers for defamation, extortion appeared first on Page Six.
