The Backstreet Boys member is slammed by one of the women, who accused him of sexual assault, in a newly-filed petition to have his countersuit thrown out of court.
- February 24, 2023
AceShowbiz - A woman taking Nick Carter to court over a sexual battery allegation is seeking to have his countersuit against her dismissed. Shannon Ruth sued the Backstreet Boys star in December, claiming he assaulted her on a tour bus after a concert in Washington in 2001 when she was 17 - and Carter - who vehemently denied the allegations - later filed a counterclaim against her and two other individuals claiming they have been trying to extort money from him.
"Carter's Counterclaim is clearly intended for no other purpose than to harass, intimate, and potentially silence [Ruth]," states the paperwork filed by Ruth's legal team in Clark County, Nevada asking for the countersuit to be dismissed, according to Etonline.com.
"He seeks to use his wealth and celebrity status to outlast Plaintiff, intimidate her, and possibly even silence her. All while hiding behind being the 'victim' of the '#MeToo' Movement and the preposterous notion that [Ruth] is only seeking attention and publicity."
The documents go on to claim Carter's legal fight back should not proceed because it is "the very definition of a SLAPP lawsuit" - also known as Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation which are filed in an effort to suppress free speech or stop court action by burdening the individual with extra costs of a legal defence.
The motion filed by Ruth's team also asks for Carter to be held responsible for covering her court costs and lawyers' fees if his countersuit is dismissed.
The countersuit was filed last month and also targets Melissa Schuman - a former singer with the group Dream who accused the star of rape in 2017 - and her father, Jerome Schuman, with Carter claiming they are taking advantage of the #MeToo movement to "extort" money from him.
According to documents obtained by People magazine, the 43-year-old star alleged the women launched a five-year conspiracy to "defame and vilify" him and "otherwise ruin his reputation for the purposes of garnering attention and fame and/or extorting money from Carter."
Nick alleged the pair had set out to "destroy innocent lives" and more than £2.3 million has been lost in business since the December lawsuit.
