Nick Carter Sues Sexual Assault Accuser Melissa Schuman for $2.5M — and Brands Her Lawsuit a ‘Despicable Bid at Recapturing Fame’
Nick Carter fired back at one of his sexual assault accusers by filing a counter-suit claiming she sued him in 'a despicable bid at recapturing fame'.
Aug. 14 2024, Published 2:34 p.m. ET
Nick Carter fired back at one of his sexual assault accusers in a $2.5 million counter-suit, according to court documents obtained by RadarOnline.com.
Melissa Schuman alleged the former Backstreet Boy raped her when she was a singer in the all-girl pop group Dream. She accused Carter, who was 21 at the time, of forcibly taking her virginity when she was 18 before he and his associates allegedly launched "an organized attempt to intimidate, blame, harass and discredit" her.
Carter lost his bid to move the case to Nevada.
Carter, now 44, has denied the allegations and insisted he and Schuman, now 39, had consensual sex. His lawyers argued Schuman's lawsuit was motivated by her "dwindling career and thirst for internet relevance", and claimed she was the one who "embarked on a defamatory campaign against Carter" nearly 15 years after the alleged assault.
In their latest attempt to have her suit tossed, Carter's lawyers charged his alleged victim with "defamation" as well as "interfering with, disrupting and/or preventing his prospective contractual relationships and economic advantages".
Melissa Schuman scored a small win in court this week.
He claimed several companies he planned to work with "terminated their contracts and business relationships with Carter costing Carter millions".
In the past 10 months, he alleged "no less than four venues" on his Who I Am solo tour "substantially reduced his compensation in the wake of halted ticket sales that came on the heels of Schuman’s defamatory statements".
His lawsuit read: "Schuman’s interference was intentional, malicious and oppressive, and designed solely to damage Carter."
Schuman sued Cater last April for alleged sexual battery, sexual assault, intentional infliction of emotional distress and negligence. She accused him of using "his role, status, and power as a well-known singer to gain access to, groom, manipulate, exploit, and sexually assault" her.
According to both parties' complaints, Schuman accepted Carter's invitation to hang out with friends at his apartment in Santa Monica shortly after they met in 2003 as cast members on the set of teen horror movie The Hollow. But while they agreed on this point, their lawsuits contradicted each other on nearly every other detail.
Schuman alleged Carter gave her alcohol she suspected was laced with "flunitrazepam or a similar drug". She said he then led her into a bathroom where he performed oral sex on her against her will before taking her into another bathroom and forcing her to do the same to him.
Schuman accused Carter of raping her when he was a member of the Backstreet Boys in 2003.
Then, she claimed he took her into a bedroom, "pushed her onto a twin bed and climbed on top of her".
Her complaint stated: "Again and again, [Schuman] said NO! She told him over and over that she was a virgin, that she was saving herself for her future husband and that she did not want to have sex.
"Defendant Carter continued to force himself on her, whispering in her ear that he could be her husband. Plaintiff could not get away from him, he was too heavy. Defendant Carter forced vaginal penetration of Plaintiff. Plaintiff went limp and disassociated."
But in Carter's court papers, he claimed two friends were "lying on the ground just feet away" as they "engaged in consensual sex" after being "flirtatious with one another throughout the day/night".
His lawyers declared: "At no point in time did Carter sexually assault Schuman or any other person."
Schuman, however, asserted that after the alleged rape, Carter sent her a text reading: “Why did you make me do that?"
He then "began to manipulate and torment her", according to her suit.
The former pop singer told her story publicly for the first time on a blog during the #MeToo movement in 2017. Afterward, she claimed Carter and his "friends, associates and/or agents" tried to silence her with "a highly strategized cyber-stalking and harassment campaign".
Carter has denied all sexual assault allegations.
In his latest filing, the ex-boy band member said Schuman "publicly and falsely accused Carter of raping her" in her "defamatory blog". He said Schuman, her father and "co-conspirators" they "recruited and groomed" then "defamed Carter to the public at every possible opportunity."
It's not the first time Carter has filed a cross-complaint against a sexual assault accuser.
Actress Shannon Ruth sued the singer in December 2022, alleging he assaulted her on his tour bus after a Backstreet Boys concert in 2001. Carter filed his counterclaim against her in 2023, adding Schuman as a defendant who he claimed was part of an alleged conspiracy to defame him through sexual misconduct allegations.
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A third anonymous woman has also sued Carter for multiple alleged rapes when she was 15. On one occasion, after he purportedly abused her on a yacht, she said he "instructed" her "to keep his sexual abuse of her a secret".
All three women accused the ex-boy bander of infecting them with HPV.
Carter has denied all sexual misconduct allegations against him, and has never faced criminal charges related to the claims.
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