When did Nick Carter countersue his assault accuser? Nevada Supreme Court Judge allows defamation lawsuit to proceed

A Nevada judge allowed Nick Carter's counterclaim for defamation against accuser Shannon Ruth to proceed. Citing court documents, People magazine stated on Tuesday, November 26, 2024, that Nevada Supreme Court judge Nancy L. Allf denied Ruth's anti-SLAPP appeal against the counterclaim because she "failed to satisfy her burden."

Notably, anti-SLAPP (strategic lawsuits against public participation) laws provide parties a way to quickly dismiss meritless lawsuits.

Trigger warning: The following article contains references to s*xual assault of a minor. Reader discretion is advised.

For the unversed, Ruth sued the Backstreet Boys member in 2022, accusing him of r*ping her when she was a minor in a tour bus in 2001. She claimed that the incident occurred after a concert in Tacoma, Washington when she was just 17.

Nick Carter denied the accusation and filed a counterclaim in February 2023, stating that Ruth took advantage of the #MeToo movement (a global social awareness campaign against s*xual abuse and r*pe) to "defame and vilify Carter" and "ruin his reputation" for "attention and fame and/or extorting money."

At the time, the petition named three people - Ruth, Ashley Repp, and Melissa Schuma.

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Nick Carter provided witness affidavits challenging Shannon Ruth's claims in his countersuit

In December 2022, Shannon Ruth filed a s*xual battery lawsuit against Nick Carter. She claimed that in 2001, the musician, then 21, picked her out of a line of fans seeking autographs after a concert in Tacoma. She alleged that Carter invited her to join him on his tour bus and r*ped her.

However, in his countersuit, Carter submitted several witness affidavits claiming otherwise. This included Backstreet Boys security, who stated that there was no autograph line and that the band quickly left the venue after the concert.

According to People, Susan Riggs, a friend of the band, previously testified that she saw Nick Carter exit the venue, board the tour bus, and drive away. A fan, Ashley Large, who attended the concert and a meet-and-greet session before the show, asserted that there was no autograph line.

Moreover, several fans have confirmed that the singer was immediately taken to the Four Seasons Hotel in Seattle shortly after the concert concluded. The publication, citing the filing, wrote:

"Based on the actual and significant evidentiary record, Carter did not r*pe Ruth and her moving target story does not create a genuine issue where a reasonable jury would return a verdict in her favor."

The publication People, citing Judge Allf, wrote that Ruth didn't "specifically address" Carter's counterclaims that would warrant it to be dismissed. She wrote:

"Our resolution of this appeal has been hindered by Ruth's failure to identify with specificity any of the statements that form the basis of Ruth's anti-SLAPP motion."

Ruth's suit followed Melissa Schuman's (former member of pop group Dream) filing in 2023 (Schuman initially accused Carter in 2017) accusing Nick Carter of s*xual assault and battery when she was 18.

Carter, for his part, denied the accusation and countersued her for defamation along with Ruth. Following a hearing, the musician was given the green light to pursue his countersuit against Schuman in August 2023. He eventually countersued Schuman for $2.5 million a year later.

A third person, Ashley Repp, sued Nick Carter in August 2023, claiming assault when she was only 15. Nick filed a counterclaim stating the victim lied about her age, adding that they had a "consensual" relationship. However, the defamation lawsuit was dismissed as Repp was a minor.

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Reps for Shannon Ruth have not publicly reacted to the development.