Backstreet Boys singer Nick Carter faces third sexual assault lawsuit
LAS VEGAS – American vocal group Backstreet Boys’ Nick Carter has been accused of a sexual assault that happened two decades ago, when his accuser was 15 and he was 23. He has denied the allegation.
According to The Los Angeles Times, a 10-page complaint was filed on Monday in Las Vegas by a woman identified only as “A.R.”, alleging that Carter had sexually assaulted her on multiple occasions in 2003, including several times on a yacht and once on a tour bus after giving her alcohol.
The woman also claimed that the singer infected her with the human papillomavirus (HPV) during three alleged assaults in Florida.
She said Carter “knowingly provided alcohol and drugs” and then assaulted her “despite her repeated refusals and requests for him to stop”.
This is the third sexual assault lawsuit the 43-year-old singer is facing.
In December, Shannon “Shay” Ruth alleged that Carter raped her on a tour bus when she was 17 and he was 21.
In April, Melissa Schuman, a former member of the teen-pop girl group Dream, accused Carter of sexually assaulting her in 2002 when she was 18 and he was 22.
Carter has denied the accusations and is countersuing both women for defamation.
Carter’s lawyer, Dale Hayes Jr., called the latest allegations “ridiculous” in a statement to The LA Times.
The statement also mentioned that the same woman first accused Carter in criminal investigations in Florida, where the alleged incidents took place, and Pennsylvania, where A.R. lived in 2003.
Authorities declined to file charges against Carter the following year, Mr Hayes said, citing police reports.
The lawyer added that the woman is “repeating the same false allegations in a new legal complaint” and it “doesn’t make them any more true”.
The LA Times reported that since the first sexual assault lawsuit, Carter and the Backstreet Boys have lost more than US$2 million (S$2.7 million) due to show cancellations and lost endorsement deals.
Despite the allegations, Carter is scheduled to go on a solo tour in the United States with 12 dates in October.
Get The New Paper on your phone with the free TNP app. Download from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store now