Nick Carter has filed a countersuit against singer Melissa Schuman after she sued him for sexual assault in 2023 and publicly referred to him as a rapist between September 2023 and May 2024. In the lawsuit, Carter, 44, denied Schuman's allegations and pointed to her "dwindling career" as a possible reason for her allegations, which he claims are false. He is countersuing Schuman, 39, who was the lead singer of the '90s girl band Dream, for $2.5 million. In the lawsuit, Carter called Schuman's accusations "intentional" and "malicious." The countersuit, which was filed by the Backstreet Boys singer on July 26, claims that she had "a specific intent to damage (his) reputation and interfere with his business opportunities, advantages and contracts."
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Melissa Schuman first accused Nick Carter of sexual assault in 2017.
Carter's filing mentions how Schuman's initial blog post when she accused him of sexual assault allegedly contained false information and how she continued to spread that information by speaking to the media.
In her blog post, Schuman alleged that Carter sexually assaulted her at his apartment while they were working together on teen horror movie The Hollow. Schuman was 18 years old and Carter was 22.
Carter claims he and Schuman had consensual sex.
Schuman has said Carter made drinks for the people who were at his apartment that night. Carter then allegedly asked Schuman to go to his office with him to listen to some of his new music, and she agreed. Once they were alone, he allegedly sexually assaulted her.
Carter alleges that what happened between the two of them that night was consensual.
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According to Carter's lawsuit, Schuman 'happily' performed with him after that night, but Schuman tells a different story.
In the lawsuit, Carter points to a duet as "evidence" that they were not on bad terms after that night at Carter's apartment. Per InTouch, the lawsuit claims, “Shortly thereafter, [Melissa] happily and enthusiastically agreed to perform a musical duet with [Nick] and further perform with him at a live showcase."
In Schuman's 2017 blog post, however, she described pushing past the discomfort for the sake of her career. Her manager arranged the duet, which they recorded separately, she wrote. When her manager arranged the live showcase performance, she described waiting "quietly and anxiously."
"I tried to justify that maybe something good to come out of something very bad," she wrote.
The lawsuit also mentions Schuman's 'dwindling career.'
Carter's countersuit alleges that the claims Schuman made via her blog and later during interviews, in a documentary, and on social media, cost him millions because he lost partnerships and endorsement deals with various companies, per InTouch.
The lawsuit pointed to her "dwindling career," claiming that Schuman "publicly acknowledges her dwindling career and thirst for internet relevance," Variety reported.
In her blog post, Schuman explained that she didn't want to share her story and didn't want to be famous for this. "Let me ask this simple question. Who the h— wants to be famous for being raped?" she wrote at the time.
Schuman's accusations have led to 'emotional distress,' he alleges.
In addition to impacting him financially, Carter claims that Schuman's actions have impacted his mental health. InTouch previously reported that Carter's therapist said he was dealing with PTSD, and in the countersuit, he alleges that his family has had to deal with "emotional distress," according to USA Today. The countersuit alleges, "Schuman’s actions were intentional, malicious, oppressive and designed specifically to damage Carter’s contractual relationships and prospective economic advantages and opportunities."
