Nick Carter
(Picture: Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images)Backstreet Boys member Nick Carter has been sued for alleged sexual battery of a minor on the group’s tour bus in 2001.
In the civil lawsuit, first reported by showbiz site TMZ, Shannon Ruth, who was aged 17 at the time, claims she was invited by Carter, then 21, onto the tour bus after a concert in Tacoma, Washington.
An ally of Carter told TMZ that the accusations were “categorically false” and that “Nick is focusing on his family and mourning the death of his brother”, the singer and rapper Aaron Carter, who died last month at age 34.
According to the suit, Ms Ruth was asked by Carter if she wanted a drink and was given a “VIP juice” drink which tasted “off.”
She believes it was a mixture of cranberry juice and alcohol.
Ms Ruth, who is autistic and has cerebal palsy, alleges Carter then took her to a bed and continued to sexually assault her, calling her a “retarded little bitch”, and saying no-one would believe her if she said anything.
Speaking at a press conference, she said: “Just because Nick Carter is a celebrity does not mean that he is excused from his crimes. I am a survivor and always will be.”
According to the documents, Ruth was a virgin at the time of the alleged assault. She is now seeking damages.
Carter was previously accused of sexual misconduct in 2018.
Melissa Schuman, a former member of the girl band Dream, claimed Carter forced her to have sex “against my will” when she was 18 and he was 22.
Carter denied the allegations, saying in a statement: “I am shocked and saddened by Ms Schuman’s accusations.
“Melissa never expressed to me while we were together or at any time since that anything we did was not consensual … This is the first that I am hearing about these accusations, nearly two decades later.
“It is contrary to my nature and everything I hold dear to intentionally cause someone discomfort or harm.”
Ms Ruth's claim is being brought as a civil suit seeking damages, whereas a criminal case over Ms Schuman's allegation could not go ahead because the statute of limitations had elapsed under California law
The Standard has contacted Carter’s management for comment.
