Nick Carter's Sexual Assault Accuser Responds to His Counterclaim with Motion to Dismiss
Gabe Ginsberg/Getty Nick Carter
Nick Carter's legal battle continues as Shannon Ruth, a woman who sued him in December 2022 for alleged sexual battery, moves to have his recent counterclaim dismissed.
The motion, which was filed on Tuesday and obtained by PEOPLE, alleges that the Backstreet Boys singer, 43, filed his counterclaim "with the intent to harass and intimidate Plaintiff, impede her right to free speech, and use his considerable wealth and celebrity status to outlast" Ruth.
According to her lawyers, that type of claim is called a "strategic lawsuit against public participation," or "SLAPP." In Nevada, there are specific laws in place to prevent that type of lawsuit or "at minimum, limit their nefarious intent," by requiring the filing party to show that there is likelihood of success before it can go any further, the filing states.
Ruth's attorney Mark J. Boskovich and Carter's attorney Michael Holtz did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
In the motion, Ruth's lawyers suggest that Carter's counterclaim is just a strategy to use his celebrity status to "outlast" "intimidate" and "outspend" Ruth instead of facing the accusations in court.
The motion claims the singer is "hiding behind being the 'victim' of the #MeToo Movement and the preposterous notion that Plaintiff is only seeking attention and publicity. This is the very definition of a SLAPP lawsuit, and it should not be allowed to progress."
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Ray Tamarra/GC Images Nick Carter
RELATED: Nick Carter Countersues Women Who Accused Him of Sexual Assault: "Opportunists"
In December 2022, Ruth announced she was suing Carter during a press conference.
Ruth, who has autism and cerebral palsy, claimed she was waiting in an autograph line after a 2001 Backstreet Boys show in Tacoma, Washington, when Carter invited her to his bus.
The singer allegedly asked Ruth if she wanted a drink, and when she requested apple juice, he gave her a red-colored drink he called "VIP juice," the documents claim.
Though Ruth claims that Carter said the beverage was cranberry juice, Ruth believes it also contained alcohol.
The singer has previously denied both allegations. The counterclaim states he believes he has never met Ruth.
RELATED VIDEO: Nick Carter Sued for Sexual Battery in 2001 Fan Incident as Source Denies Allegations
Carter filed a counterclaim against Ruth in February. In his counterclaim, he is also suing Melissa Schuman, a former teen pop singer with the girl group Dream, who accused him of rape in 2017.
The counterclaim alleges the two women took advantage of the #MeToo movement and used it to launch a five-year conspiracy to "defame and vilify Carter and otherwise ruin his reputation for the purposes of garnering attention and fame and/or extorting money from Carter," according to the filing obtained by PEOPLE.
It also describes Schuman, now 38, and Ruth as "opportunists" who set out to "destroy innocent lives," and caused more than $2.3 million in business losses after the December accusation.
The counterclaim alleges Schuman and her father Jerome Schuman groomed Ruth, who "was a vulnerable and highly impressionable individual, craving attention and desperate to fit in."
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.
