Backstreet Boys member Nick Carter is getting canceled this Christmas — literally, as ABC has decided to forgo the anticipated A Very Backstreet Holiday film special, which was set to air later this month.
Variety reports that the major television network’s choice to cancel may have to do with allegations of sexual assault against Carter, which have recently turned into a very public lawsuit.
Shannon “Shay” Ruth, now 39, is officially suing the boy band singer for sexual battery from an account when she was a teenager. Ruth says that when she was 17, Carter raped her and infected her with HPV when the band was on tour in 2001.
“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,” Ruth stated during a press conference which took place earlier this December.
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The lawsuit was officially filed on December 8, and also involves three other women (who have chosen to remain anonymous) who also claim Carter sexually assaulted them.
Ruth says her alleged assault took place in February 2001 following a Backstreet Boys concert in Tacoma, Washington.
According to a copy of the complaint obtained by Page Six, Carter allegedly lured Ruth into his tour bus, and offered her a “red-colored drink.” Ruth believes it may have been a “mix of alcohol and cranberry juice,” although reports cannot confirm if she was served alcohol underage.
The shocking testimonial claims that Carter, 21 at the time, forced himself on Ruth despite her protests and please for him to stop.
“After he raped me, I remember him calling me a ‘retarded b****’,” she stated during the conference. “And grabbing me and leaving bruises on my arm.”
It’s not the first time Carter has been accused of sexual assault and abuse.
In 2004, the singer was the subject of rumors claiming that he beat his ex-girlfriend, Paris Hilton. And in 2017, former pop singer Melissa Schuman accused Carter of raping her in a blog post.
Carter denied those allegations, as well as the current ones lodged against him by Ruth.
“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, said in a statement to Variety.
Holtz claims that Ruth has been manipulated into making false allegations” which have supposedly changed over time, discrediting her statements. The lawyer also described the lawsuit is a “press stunt” and said that courts will quickly find the testimonials to be unfounded as well.
For now, Ruth says her focus is working to ensure justice is served.
“Just because Nick Carter is a celebrity does not mean that he is excused from his crimes,” she added at the end of her statement. “I am a survivor and always will be.”
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, help is available. RAINN’s National Sexual Assault Hotline is here for survivors 24/7 with free, anonymous help. 800.656.HOPE (4673) and .
