Backstreet Boys singer Nick Carter sued again for alleged 2003 sexual assault and battery

Backstreet Boys singer Nick Carter is facing another sexual assault lawsuit.

In a complaint filed Tuesday in Los Angeles, singer Melissa Schuman, formerly of pop girl group Dream, accuses Carter of sexual assaulting her in 2003.

Schuman, 38, alleges that Carter, 43, used "his role, status, and power as a well-known singer to gain access to, groom, manipulate, exploit, and sexually assault," according to the lawsuit, obtained by USA TODAY.

In the court documents, Schuman says the alleged assault occurred at Carter's Santa Monica apartment. She alleges Carter forced himself on top of her despite her telling him "over and over that she was a virgin, that she was saving herself for her future husband, and that she did not want to have sex."

She says in the lawsuit that she "could not get away from him, he was too heavy." Schuman also claims Carter infected her with HPV, a sexually transmitted infection that can cause genital warts and other health problems.

Carter's attorney Liane K. Wakayama told USA TODAY in an emailed statement that Schuman's suit is a "PR stunt."

"Melissa Schuman has been peddling this tale for many years, but her allegation was false when she first made it back in 2017 - and it still is," Wakayama said.

USA TODAY has reached out to Schuman's publicist for comment.

Schuman first published a blog post detailing her claims in 2017.

"I am about to share something that I’ve wanted to pretend never happened since I was 18," Schuman wrote. "A burden I thought I’d have to carry for the rest of my life and suffer in silence."

Schuman said Carter "was relentless, refusing to take my no’s for an answer" and said he performed oral sex on her and forced Schuman to perform sexual acts before raping her.

According to Schuman's post, the incident happened shortly after they were cast in a TV movie together, 2004's "The Hollow." At the time, Carter was 22.

Schuman wrote that she had intended to come forward shortly after the encounter, but her then-manager, Nils Larsen, convinced her it wasn't a good idea.

After Schuman's blog post was published in 2017, Carter also denied the allegations then in a statement to USA TODAY.

"I am shocked and saddened by Ms. Schuman’s accusations," the singer said. "Melissa never expressed to me while we were together or at any time since that anything we did was not consensual. We went on to record a song and perform together, and I was always respectful and supportive of Melissa both personally and professionally. This is the first that I am hearing about these accusations, nearly two decades later. It is contrary to my nature and everything I hold dear to intentionally cause someone discomfort or harm."

Backstreet Boys singer Nick Carter: Sued for alleged rape of 17-year-old girl in 2001

The lawsuit comes weeks after a Nevada judge ruled Carter could countersue Schuman and her father Jerome Schuman, as well as another Carter accuser, Shannon "Shay" Ruth.

Ruth sued Carter in Nevada last December, claiming he raped her on a Backstreet Boys tour bus in 2001 when she was 17. Ruth's suit also alleges Carter raped three other women identified as Jane Does who are also listed in Carter's countersuit.

Carter filed in February. According to his countersuit, obtained by USA TODAY, Carter claims the accusations posed in the suits filed against him are part of a conspiracy to defame and extort him.

This isn't the first time Schuman has tried to pursue charges. In 2018, prosecutors in Los Angeles declined to file charges given the statute of limitations had expired in 2013.

But in September, California Gov. Gavin Newsom approved a bill that revived some sexual assault claims that were barred due to the applicable statute of limitations having expired.

The bill allows for any sexual assault claim for people over the age of 18 that would have been blocked otherwise before Jan. 1 due to statute of limitations expiring be revived with court proceedings commenced between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31. Schuman's lawsuit claims that the suit is timely given the amendment.

Around the time that Newsom passed the bill, Schuman posted the news on her Instagram story with the hashtag "#nolongertimebarred." The story is now saved in her account's highlights.

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Contributing: Maeve McDermott, Hannah Yasharoff

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Nick Carter lawsuit: Backstreet Boys singer sued for sexual assault