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Nick Carter, singer of the Backstreet Boys, is at the center of controversy with the release of the new documentary "Fallen Idols: Nick and Aaron Carter," which includes allegations of sexual assault from three women: Melissa Schuman, Shannon Ruth, and Ashley Repp. These women claim Carter assaulted them in the early 2000s and have filed lawsuits against him. Carter has countersued them for defamation, calling their allegations "outrageous" and "falsehoods."
Melissa Schuman, a former member of the girl group Dream, accused Carter of raping her in 2002 when she was 18. Although prosecutors did not pursue criminal charges due to the statute of limitations, Schuman filed a civil lawsuit in April 2023. Shannon Ruth, who is autistic and has cerebral palsy, alleged that Carter raped her in 2001 when she was 17, following a Backstreet Boys concert in Tacoma, Washington. Ruth claims Carter gave her a drink he called "VIP juice," which tasted alcoholic, before forcing her to perform oral sex and then raping her. She asserts that she contracted HPV from the incident. Ashley Repp accused Carter of assaulting her three times in 2003 when she was 15.
Carter has vehemently denied these allegations. His legal team issued a statement to the Los Angeles Times, saying, "These are exactly the same outrageous claims that led us to sue this gang of conspirators. Those cases are working their way through the legal system now, and, based on both the initial court rulings and the overwhelming evidence, we have every belief that we will prevail and hold them accountable for spreading these falsehoods."
The docuseries, which premiered on Investigation Discovery, not only delves into these allegations but also explores the troubled relationship between Nick and his late brother Aaron Carter. Before his death in November 2022 at age 34, Aaron publicly supported the women accusing his brother. The series also examines Aaron Carter's mental health struggles leading up to his untimely death.
Nick Carter declined to participate in the four-part docuseries, which continues to spark significant public and legal attention as the cases proceed through the courts.
