Backstreet Boys frontman Nick Carter denies allegations of sexual harassment; lawyer calls allegations ‘outrageous’

Trigger warning: This article contains references to sexual assault, alcohol and drug addiction, and death.

Nick Carter stood firm and maintained his innocence following the release of Investigation Discovery’s Fallen Idols: Aaron and Nick Carter, which aired Monday, May 27 and Tuesday, May 28, respectively. The four-part documentary series features interviews with former dream pop group members Melissa Schuman, Shannon Ruth and Ashley Repp. The three women have each filed separate sexual harassment lawsuits against the Backstreet Boys frontman.

“These are the exact same outrageous allegations that led us to sue this band of conspirators,” Carter’s attorney Dale Hayes Jr. told The Hollywood Reporter on behalf of his client. “These cases are currently working their way through the legal system, and based on the initial court rulings and the overwhelming evidence, we are confident we will prevail and hold them accountable for spreading falsehoods,” he added.

For those of you who don’t know, below we provide a detailed report on all three cases against Nick Carter!

Shannon Ruth, Melissa Schuman and Ashley Repp against Nick Carter

All three women appear in the documentary series “Fallen Idols,” but Carter declined to participate in it.

Advertising

Shannon Ruth filed a lawsuit against Carter in December 2022, accusing the singer of sexually harassing her at the age of 17. According to Forbes, Ruth points out that Carter allegedly chose her from a line of fans asking for his autograph in 2001. Carter’s lawyer called the allegations “not only legally baseless, but also completely untrue.”

According to the above publication, singer and former member of the girl group Dream, Melissa Schuman, claims that Carter sexually abused her in 2002. She reportedly publicly accused him of the same in 2018 before suing him in 2023.

Ashley Repp sued Carter in August 2023, claiming he sexually assaulted her on multiple occasions in 2003, when she was 15 and he was 23. Repp claimed she and Carter knew each other as family friends. She accused the singer of giving her alcohol and infecting her with HPV.

Carter denies all allegations made by all three women.

Fallen Idols also deals with Aaron Carter’s mental health issues and his poor relationship with Nick

For those who may not know, Aaron Carter drowned in 2022 as a result of a drug overdose. His relationship with Nick Carter deteriorated after Aaron publicly criticized Nick in 2019 for “bullying these women with power and money” after Schuman accused his brother.

Nick Carter, who previously described their upbringing as “chaotic,” filed for a restraining order against his brother in September 2019, citing his “alarming behavior” and claiming he threatened to kill his wife and unborn child. The ID docuseries reportedly suggests that Aaron Carter’s death was influenced by online harassment he faced following his public falling out with his brother.

According to Forbes, both Nick and Aaron Carter had problems with drugs and alcohol. Their sisters Leslie and Bobbie Jean also died of drug overdoses in 2012 and 2023 respectively.

If you know someone who is struggling with alcohol or drug abuse or any form of sexual abuse or domestic violence, please contact the authorities and report it. There are several hotlines for such cases.