Nick Carter counter-sues the woman for $2.65M who accused him of rape, lawyer says she wants to vilify him

According to Rolling Stone, Nick Carter is countersuing his disabled rape accuser, alleging that her unfounded allegations have cost his band The Backstreet Boys $2.35 million. He is requesting the same amount in his case. Shannon Ruth, a 39-year-old woman with autism and cerebral palsy, filed the initial complaint in December 2022. She claimed that Carter had sexually assaulted her in 2001 when she was just 17 years old aboard the band's bus following a performance in Tacoma, Washington, as part of their Black & Blue tour. Carter is also accused of sexual misconduct in Ruth's case by three additional women who go by the name Jane Does, including a 15-year-old. According to reports, Carter has refuted all of the charges, saying that Melissa Schuman and her father, Jerome, were her coaches as part of a long-running conspiracy. Additionally, he said that the group had tried to extort him by utilizing the #MeToo movement and Carter's late brother Aaron Carter. Also read: Nick Carter denies claims of raping autistic fan when she was underage

What really happened?

Ruth announced her complaint against the musician at a press conference two months after publicly accusing Carter of rape. According to her account of the alleged occurrence, Carter invited her inside his bus after noticing her waiting for an autograph. Ruth alleged that Carter exposed himself to her after she boarded the bus and made her engage in oral sex with him before raping her. She even claimed that he had spiked her drink. Carter allegedly branded Ruth, who was 17 at the time, a "r******d little b***h that no one would believe" when she allegedly threatened to inform others of the rape. "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," Ruth said at the conference. "Even though I’m autistic and live with cerebral palsy, I believe that nothing has affected me more or had a more lasting impact on my life than what Nick Carter did and said to me," reported Daily Mail. However, in Thursday's countersuit, Carter denied Ruth’s allegations saying she “perpetuated a series of lies designed to harm Carter’s reputation and ability to earn a living.” The suit also accuses Schumans of manipulating Ruth into “making false allegations.