Nick Carter seeks summary judgment in sexual assault lawsuit, says witnesses refute accuser’s account

In documents obtained by TheWrap and filed in Nevada on May 7, Backstreet Boys member Nick Carter said it was “virtually impossible” for him to have sexually assaulted Shannon Ruth more than two decades ago, based on the statements of nine various people, including his security and management team at the time. Carter also filed a motion for rehearing and requested summary judgment on Ruth’s lawsuit.

Carter’s proposal also names Melissa Schuman, a former singer with the band Dream, her father Jerome, the @ElaineMoo account on Twitter and YouTuber Alexa Nikolas. Schuman sued Carter in April 2023 for sexual assault and assault.

Ruth sued Carter in December 2022 for sexual harassment “for sexual harassment, intentional infliction of emotional distress and negligent infliction of emotional distress.” She claimed that after a Backstreet Boys concert in 2001, when she was 17, she was attacked by Carter on his tour bus. Ruth also claimed she was given an alcoholic beverage and that Carter gave her HPV as a result of the attack.

“Every single allegation of sexual assault against him was orchestrated by Melissa Schuman, Jerry Schuman, Ashley Repp and Ruth as part of their plan
Gain fame and blackmail Carter for money. “Carter has refused to comply with any of their demands and remains steadfast in exposing these people for what they truly are: fraudsters and criminal cohorts,” the filing states.

Elsewhere in the file it was mentioned that Ruth testified that her best friend at the time, Eleanor Brewer, would corroborate her statement. “However, Eleanor testified
that none of this was true and that she had never attended a doctor’s appointment with Ruth. Importantly, the evidence confirms that Ruth tested negative for HPV based on her own medical records,” the filing states.

“Eleanor also testified that she first learned that Ruth claimed she had been raped when Ruth approached her in 2020 and wanted her to testify against Carter.”

In his filing, Carter disputed Ruth’s claim based in part on the band’s daily schedule. The band’s management and the group’s security team at the time – nine people in total – confirmed that the band made a “quick exit” after the concert and was quickly transported from the venue to their hotel. This information was also confirmed by Susan Riggs, a friend of Carter’s, as well as an online review of the concert published on the Backstreet Boys website at the time.

Tom Hudak, the group’s tour manager at the time, testified: “Ms. Ruth claims Nick Carter stayed at the venue and invited her over
Tour bus is wrong. Once again all band members, including Nick Carter,
left the venue immediately after each show. In addition, fans were not allowed access
to the tour bus staging area, which was guarded by several security guards
times, so it would have been impossible for her to get on his tour bus before that
Buses left together.”

Carter further claimed, “Ruth was trained and groomed by Melissa
Jerome Schuman (and) Ruth did not claim that Carter had sexually abused her until the Schumans had their claws inside her for 10 months.”

The filing states: “Carter is entitled to summary judgment in this case and should not be forced to go to trial on a matter in which plaintiff has failed to provide even a shred of reliable evidence to support her allegations .”

A summary judgment would result in a judge making a verdict without taking the case to a jury, and Ruth’s legal team must share their evidence with Carter’s.

Carter was also sued for sexual assault in August 2023. In that lawsuit, a plaintiff named AR alleged that Carter assaulted her several times on a yacht and once on a tour bus.

Melissa Schuman had already filed her lawsuit against Carter in 2o17 in a blog post that has since been deleted. She accused Carter of raping her in his Santa Monica home in 2003. She was 18 years old and a virgin at the time.

Carter strongly denied her claim. He said: “I am shocked and saddened by Ms Schuman’s allegations. While we were together, Melissa never expressed to me that anything we did was non-consensual.”

“We then recorded a song and performed together, and I have always been respectful and supportive of Melissa both personally and professionally. This is the first time I’ve heard of these allegations, almost two decades later. “It goes against my nature and everything I hold dear to intentionally cause discomfort or harm to anyone,” he concluded.