Nick Carter has been given permission to move forward with a counterclaim against a woman who accused him of rape.
The Backstreet Boys star was sued by Shannon Ruth in 2022, who had alleged she was sexually assaulted on a tour bus in 2001 and on Tuesday (26.11.24), Nevada Supreme Court judge Nancy L. Allf denied the accuser's anti-SLAPP motion - a request to dismiss a lawsuit based on protected speech - against the singer's defamation countersuit because she had "failed to satisfy her burden".
In documents filed in court and obtained by People magazine, the judge wrote: "Our resolution of this appeal has been hindered by Ruth's failure to identify with specificity any of the statements that form the basis of Ruth's anti-SLAPP motion. We therefore conclude that any statements on which Carter's counterclaims is based that are not specifically addressed in this order do not warrant reversal of the district court's order."
The 44-year-old singer had filed a counterclaim in February 2023 against both Ruth and Melissa Schuman - another rape accuser - and alleged the pair had taken advantage of the MeToo movement and used it as the basis of a five-year conspiracy to "defame and vilify Carter and otherwise ruin his reputation for the purposes of garnering attention and fame and/or extorting money from Carter."
He was told in August 2023 he could pursue his countersuit against Melissa and is now suing her for $2.5 million for defamation.
The 'Everybody (Backstreet's Back) hitmaker has denied all the allegations against him - including those of an anonymous woman who alleged he assaulted her on multiple occasions in 2003 when she was just 15 years old - and previously insisted it was "factually impossible" for him to have assaulted Shannon.
Shannon had alleged she was sexually assaulted in 2001 when she was 17 and the 'I'll Never Break Your Heart' singer was 21, and claimed the incident took place on the group's tour bus after a concert at the Tacoma Dome in Washington.
However, in a court filing, Nick provided evidence disputing the allegation, with Backstreet Boys' management and members of the security team confirming the group did a "quick out" after the concert when his accuser was allegedly waiting in an autograph line.
Susan Riggs, a friend of the band at the time testified she "personally observed Carter exit the venue, board his tour bus and immediately drive away", and fan Ashley Large went to a meet-and-greet prior to the show, but stated there was no autograph line afterwards.
Fans also confirmed Nick was taken to the Four Seasons Hotel in Seattle shortly after the concert ended.
