Nick Carter Of Backstreet Boys Facing Civil Lawsuits In Vegas Alleging Sexual Assault Decades Ago

LAS VEGAS, Nevada — Backstreet Boys singer Nick Carter has obtained a favorable verdict in one of two civil claims filed against him in Nevada, one by a woman alleging he raped her on his tour bus in Washington state in 2001 and the other by a woman alleging he sexually assaulted her on his yacht off the coast of Florida in 2003.

On Wednesday, a state court judge refused to dismiss a countersuit filed by Carter and his attorneys alleging defamation by three people in the first case, which was filed last December by a Nevada woman, now 40, who claims Carter assaulted her on his tour bus after a concert in Tacoma, Washington, when she was 17 years old.

“He told plaintiff she would go to jail if she told anyone about what happened between them,” according to the woman’s lawsuit. “He said he was Nick Carter and that he had the power to do that.”

The second case concerning the Florida allegations was filed in Clark County District Court on Monday.

Carter, who is now 43, resides in Las Vegas. He has disputed the two women’s charges of sexual battery and infliction of emotional distress. Each lady is seeking undisclosed monetary damages over $30,000.

Carter appeared in court with his counsel on Wednesday when Clark County District Court Judge Nancy Allf refused to dismiss his counterclaim alleging three people of defamation, conspiracy, and abuse of process, including a third lady who said he assaulted her in 2003.

Backstreet Boys singer Nick Carter has obtained a favorable verdict in one of two civil claims filed against him in Nevada.

The judge’s judgment means that Melissa Schuman and her father, Jerome Schuman, will have to respond to Carter’s charges that they have undertaken a campaign to benefit from his celebrity. Carter is suing for more than $2.3 million in monetary damages.

“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,” Carter’s attorney, Liane Wakayama, told The Associated Press in a statement Thursday.

In 2018, Schuman lost her quest in California to have prosecutors file a criminal complaint against Carter based on her claim that he coerced her into sex in his Los Angeles apartment.

Carter has refuted racial allegations made by Schulman. He didn’t say anything in court on Wednesday.

The Schumans’ attorney, Alan Greenberg, contended in court that Carter was a public figure, that the charges against him were credible, and that Melissa Schuman reported sexual assault to two friends and a therapist in 2003.

Backstreet Boys singer Nick Carter has obtained a favorable verdict in one of two civil claims filed against him in Nevada.

The Associated Press does not usually name people who claim to have been sexually assaulted, but Schuman has spoken publicly about her experience and has permitted her identity to be used.

According to Nick’s attorneys, the Schumans did not make their charges public until late 2017, after a broad social movement galvanized by the hashtag #MeToo began uncovering previously unheard tales of sexual violence.

They also claim the Schumans “recruited” the Florida lady who accused Nick of sexual assault.

In court filings, the complainant, who lives in York County, Pennsylvania, requests to be identified only by her initials. Nick allegedly raped her on his yacht in 2003, when she was 15 and they met in Marathon, Florida.

“This case demonstrates how much time, courage, and perseverance it takes for victims and survivors of child sexual abuse to come forward and seek justice,” the woman’s New York-based attorney, Margaret Mabie, said in a statement.

“Despite numerous complaints about Carter’s past conduct towards young women, his victims continue to struggle to hold (him) publicly accountable for his harms against them,” Mabie added.

The Backstreet Boys were founded in 1993 and are best known for their hits “I Want It That Way,” “As Long as You Love Me,” and “Everybody (Backstreet’s Back).”

SOURCE – (AP)