Nick Carter slams sexual assault accusers as "opportunists" as #IStandWithNickCarter ignites

Los Angeles, California - Backstreet Boys singer Nick Carter has countersued his rape accusers, who he has accused of trying to "defame and vilify" him.

Nick Carter has hit back at his accusers in a scathing new countersuit.
Nick Carter has hit back at his accusers in a scathing new countersuit.  © KEVIN WINTER / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / GETTY IMAGES VIA AFP

The gloves are off after it was reported on Friday that the 43-year-old pop star filed a countersuit against Shannon Ruth and Melissa Schuman, who have both accused him of raping them when they were teenagers.

Per People, Nick's new suit claims that the two women, who each sued the singer in 2017 and 2022 respectively, took advantage of the Me Too movement and used it to launch a five-year conspiracy to "defame and vilify Carter."

The filing further states that the women sought to "ruin his reputation for the purposes of garnering attention and fame and/or extorting money from Carter" with their accusations.

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Nick's countersuit describes Schuman and Ruth as "opportunists" who set out to "destroy innocent lives," and caused more than $2.3 million in business losses.

Nick Carter has denied the accusations from his two alleged victims, who maintain he assaulted them on separate occasions.
Nick Carter has denied the accusations from his two alleged victims, who maintain he assaulted them on separate occasions.  © Screenshot/Instagram/nickcarter

While Schuman, a former member of the pop girl group Dream, hasn't addressed the I Want it That Way singer's countersuit, Ruth's attorney Mark J. Boskovich dished to Page Six, "Why should Nick Carter be believed with his long history of abusing females?"

"A jury will weigh the evidence and decide," the rep added.

During an emotional public press conference in December, Ruth revealed her suit against Nick for allegedly assaulting her in her 2001, claiming the singer called her "a retarded b**ch" afterward. His suit says he never met her.

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Schuman attested that the Larger Than Life artist raped her while the two were working on a music project together in the early 2000s when she was 18 and a virgin. Carter defended that their relations were consensual, and that she groomed Ruth to also turn against him.

Nevertheless, Nick, who tragically lost his brother and fellow pop star Aaron Carter in November, is getting major support from his fans.

The hashtag #IStandWithNickCarter has become a trending topic on Twitter following the singer's countersuit.

Cover photo: KEVIN WINTER / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / GETTY IMAGES VIA AFP

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