Nick Carter is 'suing his rape accuser Melissa Schuman for $2.5M as he claims she has intentionally defamed him to revive her 'dwindling career'
Nick Carter is reportedly counter-suing his rape accuser Melissa Schuman for $2.5million after she filed a lawsuit claiming he had sexually assaulted her.
The Backstreet boys singer, 44, has legally responded to Schuman's claims by denying the allegations and subjecting a counter case against her, say PEOPLE.
The reported filing has come more than a year since Schuman, 39, filed a lawsuit against him accusing Carter of assault and battery.
Her reporter claimed Carter, then 22, invited her to his apartment in Santa Monica, California, after worked on the film The Hollow together in 2003.
Schuman, who was 18 at the time of the alleged event, said that she was given a sedative by Carter who then sexually assaulted her.
Nick Carter is reportedly counter-suing his rape accuser Melissa Schuman for $2.5million after she filed a lawsuit claiming he had sexually assaulted her (pictured 2023)
The Backstreet boys singer, 44, has legally responded to Schuman's claims by denying the allegations and subjecting a counter case against her
In the filing, Schuman also said she visited his home with a friend.
Carter has now reportedly filed a counterclaim in the Superior Court of California in Los Angeles County insisting that Schuman's allegations are false.
The singer is reported to have filed the claim on July 26 against Schuman, who was the lead singer of 1990 girl band Dream.
Schuman, who originally made the sexual assault claims against Carter in her blog in 2017, later spoke several times about her alleged experience.
According to the publication, the counterclaim states that Schuman called Carter a rapist on social media, in a documentary and in a press conference between the time period of September 2013 and May the following year.
They report that Carter says they did have sex but it was consensual and her allegations have been made in a bid to boost her 'dwindling' career.
The filing reportedly reads that Schuman's claims were made with 'a specific intent to damage Carter's reputation and interfere with his business opportunities, advantages and contracts.'
Schuman's attorney Karen Barth Menzies responded to Carter's most recent filing, telling PEOPLE in a statement: 'Carter's California counter-claim makes the same arguments as his stalled Nevada lawsuit, and both show that his approach to defend sexual assault claims is to attack the victims.'
The filing also apparently denies that Carter sexually assaulted Shannon Ruth, who accused him of sexual battery in claims filed in December 2022.
A Investigation Discovery docuseries, called Fallen Idols, delved into the rise to fame, controversies, and struggles surrounding Nick and his late brother Aaron.
The former Backstreet Boy's legacy has been tarred with multiple accusations of sexual assault, meanwhile, his younger brother struggled with mental illness and drug abuse before he died in November 2022.
Fallen Idols: Nick And Aaron Carter, which was released on ID and Max, features on-camera interviews with three women who have accused Nick of sexual misconduct.
He again denied all of the allegations against him, claiming his accusers were 'orchestrated' to extort him and his attorney Dale Hayes Jr. told People that the claims are 'outrageous'.
A Investigation Discovery docuseries, called Fallen Idols, delved into the rise to fame, controversies, and struggles surrounding Nick and his late brother Aaron (pictured together in 2006)
Fallen Idols: Nick And Aaron Carter, which was released on ID and Max, features on-camera interviews with three women who have accused Nick of sexual misconduct
The former Backstreet Boy's legacy has been tarred with multiple accusations of sexual assault, meanwhile, his younger brother struggled with mental illness and drug abuse before he died in November 2022
Melissa Schuman's claims against Nick Carter
Melissa Schuman claims Nick Carter raped her in his Santa Monica apartment back in 2003. At the time, the pair were filming 'The Hollow' together.
She first came forward with the claims in a blog post published in 2017 and alleged that at the time, she was just 18 years old and a virgin.
Carter has previously denied her accusation and insisted their sexual encounter was consensual.
At the time, he said 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. We went on to record a song and perform together, and I was always respectful and supportive of Melissa both personally and professionally.
'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.'
Schuman was unable to initially file a lawsuit due to a 10-year statute of limitations, but the law changed in California in 2023, changing the limitations window for a sexual assault. She went on to file the lawsuit in January 2023.
Melissa Schuman claims Nick Carter raped her in his Santa Monica apartment back in 2003
In Fallen Idols, Shuman talks to the camera about the alleged rape
The pair were filming The Hollow together at the time of the alleged sexual assault
Schuman accused Carter of forcing her to perform and receive oral sex at a time when he was 22 and she was 18. She said that her first sexual experience was with Carter, despite her insisting to him that she did not want to have sex until she was married.
In Fallen Idols, she recounts the alleged rape and claims: 'He continues to kiss me and then he puts me up on the counter. I can feel him unbuttoning my pants and I stop him and tell him I don't want to go any further.
'But he did not listen to me, despite the fact that I resisted and told him no. He started to perform oral sex on me, which was horrific.'
'I turned off the light so I didn't have to see it, see him, see any of it. He kept turning it back on and telling me he wanted to look at me, which was even more humiliating and gross. I don't even know how long it went on for.'
She continues: 'He pulls off his pants and puts himself on the counter and says, 'Now do it to me.' He started to get really angry and irritated with me.
'As he is kissing me, I am telling him, 'I don't want to have sex. I am saving myself for marriage.' I told him so many times, 'I am saving myself for my future husband.' He said, 'I could be your husband.'
Schuman told the cameras she felt Nick 'put something inside' of her.
She continued: 'I didn't see it. I didn't try to see it. I asked him, 'Nick, what is that? He said, 'It's all me, baby.'
The day following the alleged sexual assault, Schuman claims she received a text message from Nick which read: 'Why did you make me do that?' which she said 'freaked her out'
In the docuseries, Schumer also touches on the 'hell on earth' that she faced after making the allegations, including messages of hate from Backstreet Boys fans who questioned her credibility
'Eventually he goes, ‘You’re not enjoying this, are you?’ I said, ‘No.’ And that’s when he got off me.'
The day following the alleged sexual assault, Schuman claims she received a text message from Nick which read: 'Why did you make me do that?' which she said 'freaked her out'.
At the time, Carter's lawyer Liane K. Wakayama told DailyMail.com in a statement, 'For years, Melissa and Jerome Schuman have been conspiring with anyone they could manipulate to drum up false claims against Nick Carter in a brazen attempt to get rich off of him.'
In the docuseries, Schumer also touches on the 'hell on earth' that she faced after making the allegations, including messages of hate from Backstreet Boys fans who questioned her credibility.
Carter has denied all of the accusations made by Schuman.
'To be honest, I'm scared of him,' Schuman sobs in in the documentary, as a tear rolls down her cheek.
Nick Carter's ex-girlfriend Kaya Jones backing Melissa Schuman
Nick Carter's ex-girlfriend Kaya Jones also made a surprise appearance in Fallen Idols
The Pussycat Dolls singer, who dated the former Backstreet Boy between 2004 and 2005, revealed that she believed 'something horrific' happened to Melissa Schuman
Nick Carter's ex-girlfriend Kaya Jones also made a surprise appearance in Fallen Idols.
The Pussycat Dolls singer, who dated the former Backstreet Boy between 2004 and 2005, revealed that she believed 'something horrific' happened to Melissa Schuman.
Speaking to the camera, she recalled reaching out to his rape accuser in 2017 through a direct message on X (previously known as Twitter).
'Nick Carter was my boyfriend when I was in the Pussycat Dolls, and I saw the very detailed allegation about Nick and the response,' Jones, 39, said in the docuseries.
'It bothered me. Because it was discrediting this girl [Schuman]. So I wanted to hear what Melissa had to say.'
After jumping on the phone with Jones, Schuman later recalled that 'Kaya was so kind to' her.
'I think we must’ve spoken for hours. I needed someone to tell me that my life wasn’t over,' Schuman said.
Jones recalled that after Schuman came forward, she saw a 'young woman trying to speak and someone who thought he had more power and authority to try to shut her up.'
This led her to tweet a message to Nick, warning him that she was 'no longer keeping' his secrets and not to 'push it'.
'Because he knows what I know he knows,' she told the cameras. 'He knows why I left him, and, so do I believe that something horrific happened to that girl? Yes, yes, I do.'
The 44-year-old singer filed for a motion of summary judgment against Shannon Ruth earlier this month, via US Weekly
The multiple allegations of sexual assault that have dogged Backstreet Boys member Nick Carter are delved into in the new Investigation Discovery docuseries
Shannon 'Shay' Ruth's claims against Nick Carter
Shannon 'Shay' Ruth, who has autism and cerebral palsy, claims Nick Carter raped her on a tour bus in 2001 when she was a minor aged 17.
She claims the singer invited her onto his tour bus following the band's concert in Tacoma, Washington in February 2001 after seeing her waiting for an autograph.
Ruth, who will appear on Fallen Idols on Tuesday, claims the star pulled down his trousers and exposed himself to her in a bathroom - before allegedly forcing her to perform oral sex on him and then raping her.
She detailed the 'pain, confusion, frustration, shame and self-harm' brought on by the alleged incident and claimed Carter 'threatened and tried to silence her' in the immediate aftermath.
She claims afterward that she told Carter she would tell people about the alleged assault - but that he reportedly threatened to turn people against her, allegedly calling her a 'r******* little b**** that no one would believe'.
Ruth also claims she contracted the sexuallytransmitted infection, Human papillomavirus infection (HPV) from the alleged assault, having been a virgin beforehand.
Carter denied the allegations in a December 2022 statement, which began, '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 statement continued.
'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 statement concluded.
A Las Vegas judge ruled in March 2023 that Carter could file a counterclaim against Ruth after he alleged she falsely accused him in an extortion attempt.
A third woman, Ashley Repp, has also accused Nick of sexual misconduct, filing a lawsuit in August 2023. The incident allegedly took place in Florida in 2003.
Last year, following the most recent accusation from Repp — who was referred to only by her initials at the time — Carter's attorney Dale Hayes Jr. told DailyMail.com that Nick denies her claims, while describing the three lawsuits as 'malicious schemes'.
In February 2024, Carter named Schuman in a $2.3 million suit against Shannon Ruth, TMZ reported.
In the suit filed by Carter, the boy band alum said Schuman coached Ruth in an extortion attempt he says has cost him millions in lost wages.
The 44-year-old singer filed for a motion of summary judgment against Shannon Ruth earlier this month, via US Weekly.
Ruth’s goal was simple — gain as much attention as possible in hopes that Carter would be canceled. For a brief moment it worked,' the filing read.
'ABC canceled the Backstreet Boys’ Christmas special, A Very Backstreet Holiday, and Carter was left fighting for his innocence and his family,' the filing added.
'Now, over a year later, Carter has obtained all of the evidence necessary to prove that he has been telling the truth all along — he did not rape Ruth or anyone else for that matter,' the filing continued.
The filing adds that others who have accused him such as Melissa Schuman and a plaintiff known as A.R. have, 'orchestrated' their claims.
The singer alleges it is all a 'plan to garner fame and extort Carter out of money,' adding that Ruth fabricated her testimony, claiming it was a, 'factual impossibility.'
Nick and Aaron Carter's mother would pit them against each other
Jane and Bob Carter, the parents of the five Carter children, pictured here in 2001. The couple split in 2004. Bob passed away in 2017
BJ died from a fentanyl and methamphetamine overdose aged 41 in December 2023 - following the heartbreaking losses of Leslie aged 25 in 2012 and Aaron in 2022 aged 34 (BJ, Leslie and Aaron are pictured 2006)
The docuseries also provides an insight to the Carter family, who have been plagued with tragedies.
Nick and Aaron were two of five children born to Bob Carter and the pair's 'momager' Jane Schneck. Nick is the oldest, followed by sister Bobbie Jean, then sister Leslie, Aaron, and his twin sister, Angel.
In 2012, Leslie Carter, star of the family's reality show slipped and fell in the shower. Shortly after the accident, she went to take a nap and tragically would never wake up. She was 25 years old.
A note written on her hospital chart indicated that drugs had been a factor in her death. A subsequent report found that she had Xanax, Zyprexa and a muscle relaxer in her system at the time of her death.
In 2017, Bob Carter died at the age of 65 of a suspected heart attack.
Ten years later, Aaron Carter was found dead in eerily similar circumstances to his sister as he was found lifeless in a bathtub in his home after consuming the generic form of brand-name Xanax.
Jen, a family friend of the Carters, also appeared in the doc, claiming that Jane would compare her sons successes, which turned Aaron against Nick
His death was listed as accidental drowning. He was 34 years old. Aaron's battles with drugs were public knowledge and around the time of his death.
The most recent tragedy to strike the family occurred in December 2023 when Bobbie Jean, 41, was found dead in the bathroom of her Tampa home.
Jen, a family friend of the Carters, also appeared in the docuseries, claiming that Jane would compare her sons' successes, which turned Aaron against Nick.
This allegedly led to Aaron forming a 'massive chip' on his shoulder, but Nick had 'no idea' that it was happening. She said: 'Jane was in Aaron’s ear all the time'.
Aaron’s tour manager Mark Giovi added: 'Jane and Bob Carter did some great things and advanced [Aaron’s] career to what it was, but they also did some negative things.
'They treated the children like employees.'
The docuseries notes that Jane declined to comment when they reached out.
Another bombshell that was unearthed in Fallen Idols, was that Aaron Carter believed his family were involved in the wave of online bullying that took over his life (pictured in February 2022)
Aaron publicly supported Nick's accusers and even did an Instagram live with Melissa Schuman, where he said: 'And my brother raped you, and I know it'
Aaron Carter thought his family were behind cyberbullying attacks
Another bombshell that was unearthed in Fallen Idols, was that Aaron Carter believed his family were involved in the wave of online bullying that took over his life.
Aaron publicly supported Nick's accusers and even did an Instagram live with Melissa Schuman, where he said: 'And my brother raped you, and I know it.'
In another live video on Instagram, he said Nick is 'is clearly doing it'.
Adding: 'It only started when I became a voice for rape victims.'
In the docuseries, a private detective called Jennifer Huffman revealed that she was hired by Aaron to help stop the harassment.
She explained in the series: 'He told me he was the victim of harassment. He wanted some help getting it to stop. A lot of this stuff was from a YouTube streamer that goes by the name of Ganval. Ganval calls himself Aaron’s archnemesis.'
Footage was then shown of Ganval and Nick's wife Lauren Kitt Carter interacting on social media.
The detective told the camera: 'Why would his sister-in-law be online with an individual spending his days trying to troll and harass Aaron?'
She also added: 'But at no time did I see any indication of Nick Carter harassing Aaron'.
