LOS ANGELES (Court TV) — Pop star Nick Carter is fighting back against a woman who has accused him of rape, filing a countersuit against her accusing her of aiming to hurt his brand and reputation.
FILE – Nick Carter of the Backstreet Boys arrives at Wango Tango, May 13, 2017, in Carson, Calif. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP, File)
Nick Carter, who rose to fame as a member of the Backstreet Boys, has been accused of sexually assaulting three women in lawsuits filed in multiple jurisdictions . One accuser, Melissa Schuman, who herself was a member of the girl group Dream, has filed lawsuits against Carter in both Las Vegas and Los Angeles, accusing him of violently raping her.
Carter has vehemently denied all of the allegations and filed a countersuit against Schuman in Los Angeles. The filing, reviewed by Court TV, said in 2003 the two had been working on the TV movie “The Hollow,” when Carter invited Schuman to his Santa Monica apartment. Schuman brought her friend with her and Carter was joined by a friend as well.
While Schuman has alleged that Carter forced himself on her in two of the apartment’s bathrooms and then violently raped her in the home’s single bedroom, Carter maintains that the two had consensual sex in his bed, while their friends lay feet away on the floor beside them.
Carter’s filing accuses Schuman of making the false claims in an effort to save her dwindling career, referencing a video on YouTube she posted in 2014 titled, “I need to Become Important On the Internet.” In the video, Schuman allegedly says, “I need to become more socially like present … like you know … trending … and influential … like on social media … Instagram … like I really need to get … that’s one of the things I need to do in order to get my career like back on track … is I need to like become … important on the internet … one of the things that I have not been doing that I need to do … is I need to start taking more selfies … I’m going to be a trendsetter like Justin Bieber … like Kim Kardashian right now right? … Miley Cyrus … huh … yes … is it relevant … I’m socially relevant …” According to the filing, Schuman has not appeared in any work since 2015.
In this Friday, Oct. 5, 2018 photo, Melissa Schuman poses for a photo in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon)
Schuman allegedly posted sexual assault allegations for the first time in a blog on Nov. 2, 2017, 15 years after the attack allegedly occurred. Carter noted in his filing, “Just six months before publicly accusing Carter of sexually assaulting her, Schuman made her true feelings about Carter clear when a Backstreet Boys fan posted a picture of Carter performing on Instagram and Schuman responded, ‘Great video! Thank you for sharing ♥'”
Carter is asking for at least $2.5 million in actual damages in addition to damages for emotional distress and attorneys’ fees. Carter claims in the filing that he has lost out on millions in partnerships and endorsements as a result of the allegations, including canceled contracts with MeUndies, VRBO and The Children’s Place. The filing also alleges Carter received reduced compensation from venues during his tour as a result, with one venue canceling his concert completely.
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