Nick Carter is facing a sexual battery lawsuit after a woman accused the Backstreet Boys singer of raping her at a concert two decades ago.
At a press conference Thursday, Shannon “Shay” Ruth, now 39, alleges that Carter, 42, sexually assaulted her after a 2001 concert in Tacoma, Washington. Ruth, who has autism and cerebral palsy, claimed she pleaded with him to stop.
“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,” Ruth said.
Carter denied the allegations in a statement that was provided to CNN on Friday.
“This claim about an incident that supposedly took place more than 20 years ago is not only legally meritless but also entirely untrue,” Carter’s attorney, Michael Holtz, said. “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. 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.”
Additionally, ABC canceled its upcoming Backstreet Boys’ holiday special, A Very Backstreet Holiday, which was set to air Dec. 14, after the allegations were first reported.
