Nick Carter performed on stage a day after he was accused of raping a teenager more than 20 years ago.
The singer performed with his Backstreet Boys bandmates at the Z100’s 2022 iHeartRadio Jingle Ball in New York City on December 9. Their performance took place a day after 39-year-old Shannon “Shay” Ruth filed a sexual battery lawsuit in Nevada against the 42-year-old singer. So far, criminal charges haven’t been filed. Meanwhile, Nick denies the allegations.
The band performed some of their greatest hits including “I Want It That Way,” “As Long as You Love Me,” and “Everybody (Backstreet’s Back).” Moreover, the group also sang their cover for “Last Christmas” which was released by Wham! In 1984. The Christmas song is also featured on the band’s holiday album, A Very Backstreet Christmas.
According to Ruth’s lawsuit, she’s accusing Carter of raping her when she was just 17 years old. It happened in 2001 on the band’s tour bus, right after they had their concert in Tacoma, Washington. Ruth added that she was a virgin when the incident happened and that she contracted HPV after.
On the other hand, Carter’s lawyer also issued a statement on the same day of her filing. Lawyer Michael Holtz stated, “This claim about an incident that supposedly took place more than 20 years ago is not only legally meritless but also entirely untrue. 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.”
Backstreet Boys have a series of concerts and performances lined up and so far, the allegations against Nick didn’t affect them. However, ABC cancelled a planned broadcast of the band’s TV special, A Very Backstreet Holiday amid the news.
Meanwhile, this isn’t the first time that the Backstreet Boys band member faced sexual assault allegations. In 2107, singer Melissa Schuman also accused him of raping her when she was just 18. Carter denied it and no criminal charges were filed.
Based on court documents by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, “The reporting party alleged that in 2003, she was the victim of a sexual assault perpetrated by the suspect in his apartment. The victim was 18 years old at the time of the assault. The statute of limitations expired in 2013. Therefore, an analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of the evidence is not warranted and the matter is declined.”
