Backstreet Boys star Nick Carter is being sued by former Dream singer Melissa Schuman for sexual assault and battery.
In court documents obtained by multiple outlets on Tuesday (Wednesday in Australia), Schuman, 38, is claiming Carter, 43, allegedly sexually assaulted her in 2003 in his Santa Monica apartment when she was 18 and he was 22.
Schuman had previously come forward in 2017 with the accusation, claiming then she was allegedly sexually assaulted by Carter in the early 2000s while the duo were working on a film project together. Carter, both times, has denied the allegations.
READ MORE: Country’s best-known actor faces accusations spanning 18 years
In Schuman’s lawsuit, per People and Page Six, she accuses Carter of using “his role, status, and power as a well-known singer to gain access to, groom, manipulate, exploit, and sexually assault” her.
Schuman’s complaint also claims she has ”suffered severe emotional, physical and psychological stress” due to the alleged sexual assault.
In a statement obtained by multiple outlets following court documents being made public, Carter’s lawyer Liane K. Wakayama denied the allegations on his behalf.
“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,” Wakayama claimed.
READ MORE: Harry, Meghan’s coronation RSVP finally revealed
“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,” Wakayama’s statement continued.
“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.”
Schuman is also suing Carter for “intentional infliction of emotional distress”, and court documents also show Schuman’s claim that after the alleged assault, Carter allegedly began to “manipulate and torment” Schuman, allegedly texting her: “Why did you make me do that.”
In 2017, Carter denied Schuman’s allegations, saying in a statement at the time: ”Schuman had] never expressed to me while we were together or at any time since that anything we did was not consensual… It is contrary to my nature and everything I hold dear to intentionally cause someone discomfort or harm.”
READ MORE: ’90s pop group breaks silence after bandmate’s shock death
For a daily dose of 9Honey, subscribe to our newsletter here
Schuman filed a police report against Carter regarding the alleged incident, which she revealed via Twitter in February 2018. By September 2018, however, the Los Angeles District Attorney’s office said Carter would not be prosecuted and declined to investigate Schuman’s allegations as the 10-year statute of limitations period had expired.
Schuman explained in a statement at the time that despite the declination, ”speaking out was the best thing [she] could have ever done for [herself].”
As for her current lawsuit, Schuman has cited in court documents a new bill in California that lifted the statute of limitations on January 1, 2023, for civil actions regarding her allegations.
”I’ve faced extraordinary backlash for standing up for myself; I am not the first, however my intention is that I am the last,” Schuman said regarding her suit in a statement obtained by multiple outlets.
“It’s time that powerful figures in the music industry get the message that they can no longer afford to enable and protect sexual predators. I’m fighting to make the music industry a safer place to work and perform.”
Schuman’s lawsuit comes weeks after Carter filed a countersuit against Shannon Ruth, who filed a lawsuit against Carter in December 2022 for alleged sexual battery pertaining to an alleged incident in 2003.
In Carter’s countersuit against Ruth, he’s also suing Schuman, claiming both women took advantage of the #MeToo movement over the course of five years and co-opted it to launch a conspiracy to “defame and vilify Carter and otherwise ruin his reputation for the purposes of garnering attention and fame and/or extorting money from Carter.”
Support is available from the National Sexual Assault, Domestic Family Violence Counselling Service at 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732).