by Nick Carter filed a counterclaim on Thursday against the woman who accused him of committing sexual violence when he was 17.
Shannon Ruth filed the first lawsuit against the Backstreet Boys singer on Dec. 9 in Clark County, Nevada. She claimed that Carter raped her on the band’s bus in 2001 after the group performed in Tacoma, Washington black blue Trip. the civil action explained the alleged attack left Ruth with the human papillomavirus, or HPV, which can cause genital warts and even cancer.
In Thursday’s counterclaim, also filed in Clark County, dismissed Carter 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 countersuit added that Ruth’s lawsuit was part of a five-year conspiracy plan to “harass, defame and blackmail” the singer.
“Protecting your reputation and name by calling a liar a liar is not victim-blaming or bullying. It simply tells the truth,” the counterclaim states. “These opportunists want to steal the spotlight and destroy innocent lives.”
According to the lawsuit, Carter is seeking over $2.35 million in damages, which it alleges is the same amount of money Carter and the Backstreet Boys lost following Ruther’s lawsuit. The counterclaim alleged that the band had five promotional events, as well as contracts or endorsement deals with companies such as ABC, good morning america MeUndies, Vrbo and Roblox have all canceled in the face of Ruth’s allegations.
The countersuit also accuses Melissa Schuman and her father Jerome Schuman of manipulating Ruth into “making false accusations”. In 2017, Schuman accused Carter of raping her in his apartment in 2002 after getting her drunk. Carter responded, claiming the sex was consensual and had not been charged with any sexual assault charges.
Schuman did not press charges against Carter, stating in a blog post that she “did not have the money, clout, or access to a lawyer powerful enough to stand up to my abuser’s counsel.”
The countersuit alleges that Melissa, Jermone and Ruth exploited the #MeToo movement and Carter’s late brother Aaron, who died on November 5, as part of a conspiracy plan to exploit him.
“Schuman, Jerome and Ruth took advantage of Aaron’s frail condition and family stresses to disguise their defamation campaign with credibility, relentlessly and repeatedly using Aaron to attempt to legitimize their frivolous stories,” the counter-suspect states.
Schuman did not immediately respond to BuzzFeed News’ request for comment on Thursday’s counterclaim.
In Ruth’s first lawsuit, Carter also faced allegations of sexual misconduct from three other Jane Does, including a 15-year-old. Ruth was demanding unspecified penalties and compensation for medical expenses, pain and suffering. She is autistic and lives with cerebral palsy, a disorder that affects movement and coordination.
“The last 21 years have been filled with the pain, confusion, frustration, shame and self-harm that are a direct result of Nick Carter raping me,” Ruth said at a news conference. “After he raped me, I remember him calling me a ‘retarded bitch’ and grabbing me and bruising my arm.”
In response to Carter’s counterclaim, Ruth’s attorney, Mark Boskovich, questioned the singer’s credibility based on previous allegations of sexual assault against him.
“Why should Nick Carter be believed with his long history of abusing women? A jury will consider the evidence and decide,” Boskovich said in a statement to BuzzFeed News on Thursday.
