Backstreet Boys member Nick Carter is being sued by a 39-year-old woman with autism and cerebral palsy, who says the singer raped her as a teenager on the group’s tour bus in 2001.
Shannon “Shay” Ruth filed a sexual assault lawsuit in Clark County, Nevada, on Thursday, alleging that Carter gave her alcohol and assaulted her after a concert in Tacoma, Wash., in February 2001. She had 17 at the time of the alleged rape
The singer denied the allegation in a statement provided to CNN by his attorney Michael Holtz.
“This allegation about an incident that supposedly took place more than 20 years ago is not only legally without merit, but also completely false,” the statement reads. “Unfortunately, for several years, Mrs. Ruth was manipulated into making false allegations about Nick – and those allegations have changed repeatedly and materially over time.”
Ruth alleges in her complaint that Carter picked her out of a lineup of autograph seekers, invited her onto the tour bus, and gave her “VIP juice,” which she believes is a mixture of cranberry juice and alcohol.
After the alleged assault, Ruth says she contracted “the human papilloma virus, HPV, a sexually transmitted infection known to cause health problems such as genital warts and cancer,” according to the complaint.
During a press conference held in Beverly Hills, California on Thursday, Ruth said, “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.”
No criminal charges were filed with the alleged assault.
The ABC television network has decided to no longer air the “A Very Backstreet Holiday” television special, scheduled to air on Dec. 14, due to the lawsuit. Previously aired comedies will be broadcast, according to CNN 🇧🇷
Carter faced a similar allegation in 2017 after former pop singer Melissa Schuman accused him of raping her 15 years earlier. Prosecutors in Los Angeles, where Schuman sought to file charges against Carter, chose not to proceed because the statute of limitations had expired.
Carter, 38, denied the allegations at the time in a statement provided to CNN 🇧🇷
“Melissa never expressed it to me while we were together or at any time since anything we did was non-consensual,” Carter said in the statement. “We recorded a song and performed together, and I have always respected and supported Melissa both personally and professionally.”
(Posted by Carolina Farias)
Source: CNN Brasil
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