Nick Carter Plans Serious Defense Against Sexual Assault Accuser

Nick Carter is taking the allegations of sexual assault against him seriously, claiming he has 12 people who can testify on his behalf. The Backstreet Boys singer is facing a lawsuit from Shannon Ruth, who claims he sexually assaulted her after a concert in 2001 when she was underage. Ruth filed her lawsuit in December, and Carter filed a countersuit in February.

Carter claims he has 12 witnesses who were at the 2001 concert who can refute Ruth's story, according to new legal documents obtained by TMZ. The witnesses include fans, security personnel, and a talent manager. They can say Ruth's allegations are "factually impossible," according to Carter's team.

Ruth claims she got in line for Carter's autograph after the show. He allegedly invited her back to the tour bus and forced her to drink alcohol before forcing her to perform oral sex on him. Carter's witnesses can testify that this was impossible because there was no autograph line or access to the tour bus staging area after the show, according to the new documents. Carter also claims one of Ruth's close friends testified that she is not suffering from cerebral palsy and lied about being autistic. The friend believes Ruth may have not even been at the concert.

In her lawsuit, Ruth claims she was 17 at the time of the alleged assault at a Tacoma, Washington concert, TMZ reported. She claims Carter gave her a "red-colored drink" he told her was "VIP juice" after she noticed how weird it tasted. She believes the drink was a mix of alcohol and cranberry juice. After giving her the drink, Ruth claims Carter forced her to perform oral sex on her in the tour bus bathroom. She claims Carter continued sexually assaulting her on a bed inside the bus.

Ruth claimed Carter threatened her if she told anyone about the alleged incident. She said she was a virgin before the incident and claims she contracted HPV afterward. She is seeking unspecified damages.

"This claim about an incident that supposedly took place more than 20 years ago is not only legally meritless but also entirely untrue," Carter's attorney Michael Holtz told TMZ in December. "Unfortunately, for several years now, Ms. Ruth has been manipulated into making false allegations about Nick – and those allegations have changed repeatedly and materially over time. No one should be fooled by a press stunt orchestrated by an opportunistic lawyer – there is nothing to this claim whatsoever, which we have no doubt the courts will quickly realize."

Carter filed a countersuit in February, TMZ reports. Carter denied the allegations, claiming the lawsuit came after a "years-long conspiracy" against him. He claims Ruth was coached by her father Jerome and daughter Melissa Schuman and accused them of taking advantage of the #MeToo movement. He also accused Ruth of changing her story repeatedly and said there was an independent investigation that ended without criminal charges.

The singer claims he has lost more than $2.35 million after Ruth filed her lawsuit because he lost appearances and endorsement deals. Carter also accused Ruth and the Schumans of contacting his brother, Aaron Carter, before he died. He accused them of exploiting Aaron's "fragile condition and family stresses" to legitimize their allegations. Aaron later realized he was being manipulated and publicly said the accusers were lying.

"Why should Nick Carter be believed with his long history of abusing females? A jury will weigh the evidence and decide," Ruth's attorney Mark Boskovich told TMZ. In late February, Ruth's attorneys also filed a motion to have Carter's counterclaims dismissed under Nevada's anti-SLAPP law, reports 8NewsNow.