In a civil lawsuit filed in Clark County, Nevada, on Thursday, Dec. 8, a woman by the name of Shannon “Shay” Ruth accused the band member of sexually assaulting her after she attended a Backstreet Boys concert in Tacoma, Washington, when she was a teenager in February 2001. In the suit obtained by Rolling Stone, Ruth, now 39, alleges that she was raped by Carter, who was 21 at the time. She also believes he infected her with HPV. In the legal docs, Ruth—who lives with autism and cerebral palsy—claims that Carter invited her on his tour bus and fed her a drink called “VIP juice,” that tasted alcoholic. She says the singer then instructed her to get down on her knees and perform oral sex, telling her to proceed even once she began crying. According to Ruth’s account, she claims Carter led her to a bed, “pushed” her down and forcefully removed her pants before attempting to perform oral sex on her as she “begged him to stop.” The filing also claims, “Carter told her to ‘Shh!’ as he laid on top of her and said it would be our ‘special secret,’” alleging that Carter then vaginally penetrated Ruth. “The last 21 years have been filled with pain, confusion, frustration, shame and self-harm that are a direct result of Nick Carter raping me,” Ruth said in a Facebook Live press conference alongside her lawyers on Thursday. “Even though I’m autistic and live with cerebral palsy, I believe that nothing has affected me more or had a more lasting impact on my life than what Nick Carter did and said to me.” She went on to allege, “I remember him calling me a ‘re—ed bitch’ and grabbing me and leaving bruises on my arm.” “Carter tried to scare me into silence,” Ruth added, calling the musician “nasty and threatening.” It isn’t the first time Carter has faced disturbing sexual assault allegations, as he was previously accused by Melissa Schulman, a former member of the girl group Dream, of sexually assaulting her when she was 18. In the press conference on Thursday, Ruth explained that she was hesitant to come forward with her story because she believed she could “go to jail” over the alleged incidents. But now, she wants to “stop” Carter from “assaulting more teens and women” and “hold Nick Carter accountable.” “Just because Nick Carter is a celebrity does not mean that he is excused from his crimes,” Ruth stated. “I am a survivor and always will be.” Ruth’s attorney Mark J. Boskovich also took a moment to speak, claiming that there are three other women—all under the name of Jane Doe—who are also named in a joint lawsuit. “Nick Carter has a long history of abusing women,” Boskovich claimed. “Shay is determined to bring Carter to justice. She believes it’s worth it to protect other women.” As part of her civil suit, Ruth is seeking monetary damages for past and future pain and suffering as well as punitive damages in an amount to be determined at trial.
