Backstreet Boys singer sued for alleged sexual assault by fellow popstar
Backstreet Boys singer Nick Carter is being sued by another popstar for alleged sexual assault and battery.
Carter has been accused of using his “role, status, and power as a well-known singer” to allegedly groom and manipulate Dream singer Melissa Schuman.
Ms Schuman made the court filing on Tuesday in Los Angeles, where she alleged Carter drugged and assaulted at his apartment in Santa Monica in 2003, when he was 18.
They were both filming The Hollow together, and according to the filing, which also alleges Carter invited Ms Schuman and a friend to his flat to play video games.
It is then alleged that he made her an alcoholic drink, where he added “some form of flunitrazepam or a similar drug”.
Flunitrazepam is often used as a so-called date rape drug.
Ms Schuman alleged Mr Carter made her masturbate for him and forced himself on her, despite repeated objections, as well as claiming she had contracted HPV, for which there is no known cure, and can cause cervical cancer.
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The filing also says though Ms Schuman went public with the claims in 2017, in a blog post called “Don’t Worry, I Won’t Tell Anybody”, she also told people at the time about the incident.
She tried to stay away from Carter, but the documents claim he continued to “intimidate, blame and harass” her.
“Defendant Carter’s conduct exceeded all bounds of decency and is odious and utterly intolerable in a civilized society,” it read.
“Defendant Carter’s conduct, including sexual assault and internet intimidation, caused emotional distress in Plaintiff and this emotional distress was and continues to be severe.”
In the filing, Ms Schuman adds she still has mental and emotional issues, including depression, anxiety and PTSD.
A jury trial has been requested by Ms Schuman, and for damages to be determined by the court.
Carter previously announced he was counter-suing Ms Schuman over the allegations.
In a statement to Sky News, Carter’s attorney Liane K Wakayama said: “Melissa Schuman has been peddling this tale for many years, but her allegation was false when she first made it back in 2017 – and it still is.
“A judge in Nevada recently ruled, after reviewing the extensive evidence we laid out, that there are strong grounds for Nick Carter to proceed with his lawsuit against Ms Schuman for plotting to damage, defame and extort Nick, his associates, his friends and his family.
“In light of our progress in Nevada, this kind of response is at once both predictable and pathetic. But this PR stunt won’t shake Nick from his determination to hold Ms Schuman and her co-conspirators to account for the immeasurable pain and suffering their extortionate conduct has caused.”
