BACKSTREET Boys star Nick Carter has landed a major win in his fight against sexual assault allegations.
The victory stems from a legal battle between Carter and two women accusing him of rape, plus Carter’s countersuit claiming the women lied as part of a conspiracy that includes his late brother, Aaron Carter.
On Tuesday, the Nevada Supreme Court sided with Carter, ruling the singer was likely defamed by sexual assault allegations from his two accusers, Shannon “Shay” Ruth and former Dream singer Melissa Schuman.
Ruth, a former Backstreet Boys fan with autism and cerebral palsy, accused Carter of raping her on a tour bus in 2001 in a lawsuit filed in December 2022.
He was 21 years old at the time and she was 17.
She alleged in the lawsuit that Carter gave her alcohol, raped her, and threatened her to stop her from telling anyone.
Carter denied the allegations.
In November 2017, Schuman publicly accused Carter of raping her in 2003 when he was 22 and she was 18, according to court documents from the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.
Prosecutors decided not to file charges against Carter because the statute of limitations expired.
Schuman went on to sue him for sexual battery and assault in April 2023, according to court documents.
Carter denied her allegations and countersued the former pop singer for $2.5 million, according to his filing.
He alleges that Schuman made the allegations “with a specific intent to damage Carter’s reputation and interfere with his business opportunities, advantages and contracts,” according to court documents.
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In November, a Las Vegas district court denied Schuman’s attempt to dismiss the countersuit.
The Nevada Supreme Court upheld the decision this week.
According to the new ruling, Carter says Schuman and her dad also manipulated Ruth into making her claims against him.
Carter’s team further claimed Schuman and her dad “fabricated Melissa’s sexual assault allegations,” court documents reviewed by CBS affiliate KLAS-TV said.
The Schumans and their co-conspirators have run out of excuses and will finally be held accountable for their protracted campaign to defame and extort Mr. Carter.”
Liane Wakayama and Dale Hayes Jr.
The ruling said Carter claimed the Schumans worked with Ruth and Aaron in a conspiracy “to defame and extort him.”
The Schumans tried to argue Carter couldn’t prove they meant to cause harm through Schuman’s claim, which is a typical argument in defamation cases.
However, the ruling said Carter provided “ample” evidence to back up his claims of defamation, extortion, and conspiracy.
“All of this evidence, when viewed in the light most favorable to Carter, arguably demonstrate that the sexual interactions between him and Melissa were consensual, that Melissa knew she was not sexually assaulted, and that the Schumans, Ruth, and Aaron conspired to defame Carter,” Nevada Supreme Court justices wrote.
“We conclude that Carter provided sufficient evidence that, if believed, shows that the [Schumans] published defamatory statements with knowledge that they were false or with reckless disregard for their veracity.”
‘RUN OUT OF EXCUSES’
In 2022, Carter’s team said Ruth’s claims were “not only legally meritless but also entirely untrue.”
“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,” Michael Holtz, Carter’s attorney, told The U.S. Sun at the 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.”
Ruth and Schuman’s attorneys haven’t responded to The U.S. Sun’s request for comment.
Following Tuesday’s ruling, Carter’s attorneys, Liane Wakayama and Dale Hayes Jr., shared a statement about the win.
“The Schumans and their co-conspirators have run out of excuses and will finally be held accountable for their protracted campaign to defame and extort Mr. Carter,” the attorneys said.
A trial in Las Vegas district court is scheduled for February 2026.
If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-4673.
