Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images
In 2003, a woman sued Backstreet Boys singer Nick Carter for sexual assault and assault after raping him when he was 18.
in a lawsuit acquired by rolling stoneMelissa Schuman accused Carter of “using his role, status, and power as a famous singer to access, groom, manipulate, exploit, and sexually assault her.” are doing.
Schuman, a former member of 2000s girl group Dream, detailed how Carter allegedly forcibly deprived her of her virginity in her Santa Monica apartment in November 2017. I refused to accept a no,” writes Schumann. Blog post about alleged sexual assault“He was heavy, too heavy to get out from under him. Then I felt it, he put something inside me.”
“I have faced tremendous backlash for standing up for myself. I am not the first, but my intention is that I will be the last,” Schumann said in a statement. rice field. “It’s time music industry heavyweights got the message that they can no longer afford to enable and protect sexual predators. I am committed to making the music industry a safer place to work and perform. are fighting.”
“Melissa’s case illustrates how powerful and prominent figures can weaponize their fan base to intimidate and harass crime survivors,” added her attorney, Jeff Anderson. “Finally, we have a chance to prove that these crimes have legal consequences.”
Carter denied the allegations in a 2017 statement, stating that Schuman “never expressed to me that anything we did while we were together or since was not consensual… It is against my nature and everything I hold dear to intentionally make someone feel bad or harm.”
In a statement to rolling stone On Tuesday, Carter’s attorney Leanne K. Wakayama said, “Melissa Schuman has been touting this story for years, but when she first made it in 2017, her claims were false.” accused Schumann of “conspiring to harm, slander, and extort Nick, his associates, his friends, and his family.” “This PR stunt will not shake Nick’s resolve to hold Ms. Schumann and her co-conspirators accountable for the immense pain and suffering their blackmail actions have caused,” she added. .
The first two crossed paths via their respective teams. The team reportedly floated the idea of a manufactured romance between the pair to encourage positive press coverage.They ended up being cast as co-stars in a teenage TV horror movie. The HollowAfter the allegations of assault, Schumann claims he was put in a position to debate whether he would be willing to stop production if he filed a complaint against Carter.
In her post, Schumann called for silence after her then-manager, Nils Larsen, told her that she was “buried in humiliation” and would likely cause irreparable damage to her career. I wrote that I chose to keep. talk.
The lawsuit accuses Carter of continuing to “manipulate and torment” her after the alleged assault, alleging he texted her “Why did you make me do that?” there is Schumann also claims that her singer tried to contact her on her repeated calls, demanding to speak to her.
Schumann’s solo career never took off, and in her blog post, she claimed that Carter was interfering in her career, influencing Kenneth Clare, who managed both Carter and Schumann, to slowly freeze her. “I could tell from his tone that he was no longer interested in working for me. I couldn’t help myself,” she wrote.
The lawsuit alleges that Carter’s “close personal friend”, a “well-known and powerful manager in the music industry”, wanted her to record a pitched duet for the film’s soundtrack. According to the application, Schumann was hesitant to speak negatively about Carter, and agreed to record his part of the duet after confirming it was pre-recorded. It was not sold, and the manager allegedly stopped taking Schumann’s calls and stopped working with her as a client.
In the complaint, Carter is accused of using the song to “create the false impression that he and the plaintiff were on friendly terms.”
“The effect is huge,” Schumann said. Daily Beast 2018. It affects you for the rest of your life. It still affects my life… One thing I have is my voice is back. And that means more than anything to me. It means I am empowered. I’m not scared anymore “
Schuman filed a police report with the Santa Monica Police Department in February 2018, which was filed with the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office the following July. but, the office refused to prosecute the matterThe statute of limitations expired in 2013.
Carter is facing another sexual assault lawsuit in Nevada, filed on behalf of Shannon Ruth in December. claimed she was 17 when she was invited onto the tour bus. Sexually transmitted disease. Ruth, who describes herself as having cerebral palsy because of her autism, claimed Carter called her a “retarded bitch” after her alleged assault. ABC has shelved its pre-recorded Backstreet Boys Christmas special..
Carter’s attorney at the time, Michael Holtz, vehemently denied the allegations and filed a $2.35 million counterclaim against Ruth in February. Lost due to Ruth’s accusationsCarter also accuses Ruth of being “manipulated into making false claims” by Schumann and her father Jerome. allowed to continue. Schumann and her father, Jerome, are one of her co-defendants in Carter’s counterclaim.
“Carter’s defamation lawsuit is a desperate last-ditch effort to preserve his name and reputation,” said Jeff Anderson, Melissa Schuman’s attorney. He’s been lying, and he knows his time to escape accountability is imminent.”
Ruth’s lawsuit accuses Carter of sexually assaulting three other women. One of hers in Jane Doe’s story, Police report filed in Wisconsinan unidentified 20-year-old woman alleged that Carter and his friends sexually assaulted her in March 2006 in Key West, Florida.
