August 14, 2024
Backstreet Boys singer Nick Carter is countersuing Melissa Schuman for alleging him of rape.
In his counterclaim, Carter has denied Schuman's accusations and is countersuing her for $2.5 million, People reported.
For those unversed, the initial lawsuit was filed last year in April where Schuman, 39, sued Carter, 44, on claims of sexual assault and battery.
In the legal documents, Schuman claimed that the incident dates back to when she was 18 and Carter was 22.
As per her filing, Carter invited her to his Santa Monica apartment after they filmed teen thriller The Hollow together in 2003.
Schuman claimed that shortly after she arrived at Carter's apartment with a friend, he gave her a sedative and sexually assaulted her.
Now, Carter has hit back legally for defaming him since 2017, first in a blog and then in several interviews— further branding him as a rapist on social media, in a documentary, and in press conferences between September 2023 and May 2024.
Carter further said in his July 26 filings that the sexual encounter with Schuman, who was the lead singer of the '90s girl band Dream, was consensual.
He then accused Schuman of name-dropping on the basis of that encounter to revive her "dwindling career," adding that her complaint "fails to state facts."
His legal response also states that Schuman is aware of his business dealings and intends to "damage Carter's reputation and interfere with his business opportunities, advantages and contracts."
It is pertinent to mention that Carter is also facing allegations of sexual assault by Shannon Ruth, who sued him in December 2022 for alleged sexual battery.
Carter's legal move also rubbished Ruth's claims who said he raped her on a tour bus in 2001 when she was 17.