Nevada Supreme Court Backs Backstreet Boy Nick Carter’s Defamation Case
Posted on: January 29, 2025, 07:31h.
Last updated on: January 30, 2025, 10:34h.
The Nevada Supreme Court upheld a lower-court ruling Tuesday that Nick Carter of the Backstreet Boys was likely defamed and can move forward with a countersuit against his rape accuser.

In a 2017 blog post, Melissa Schuman claimed she was raped by Carter in 2003, when she was an 18-year-old member of the girl group Dream and he was 22. She then filed suit against Carter for sexual assault and battery under a new California law that expanded the statute of limitations for sexual assault claims.
The Backstreet Boys singer, who claims the two had consensual sex, countersued Schuman in January 2023, accusing her of defamation, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and abuse of process. Carter’s countersuit charged that Schuman’s accusations were part of a conspiracy aimed at extorting him and damaging his reputation.
Sometime between January and August 2023, Schuman, now 40, and her father, Jerry, filed an anti-SLAPP motion to dismiss Carter’s countersuit. The motion argued that her statements about the alleged assault were protected expressions of free speech on a matter of public interest.
That motion was denied by a district court in August 2023, and the Nevada Supreme Court held up its decision on appeal on Tuesday.
We conclude that Carter provided sufficient evidence that, if believed, shows that the Schumans published defamatory statements with knowledge that they were false or with reckless disregard for their veracity,” the court ruled, according to documents obtained by People magazine. “Thus, the district court did not err in denying the anti-SLAPP special motion to dismiss.”
The ruling noted that Carter provided “ample” evidence that Schuman changed her version of events over the years and that “the sexual interactions between him and Melissa were consensual.”
Following Suits
Schuman was also named in a February 2023 countersuit that Carter filed against Shannon Ruth. Ruth, who has autism and cerebral palsy, claimed that Carter gave her alcohol when she was 17 and raped her, threatening harm if she told anyone, according to court documents. She claimed the incident happened in 2001 on his tour bus after a concert in Tacoma, Wash.
Tuesday’s ruling affirms the lower court’s decision that Carter can also proceed with his countersuit against Ruth.
Carter denies all allegations in both cases. According to his team, an investigation showed that Carter never even met Ruth, and that an affidavit from her close friend claims Ruth didn’t even attend the concert where she said they met.
Carter’s suit claims the Schumans “fabricated Melissa’s sexual assault allegations” and manipulated Ruth into making her claims. The suit said that Carter’s brother, Aaron Carter, conspired in their plot. At the time of Aaron’s 2022 death, the brothers weren’t on speaking terms.
“All of this evidence, when viewed in the light most favorable to Carter arguably demonstrate that the sexual interactions between him and Melissa were consensual, that Melissa knew she was not sexually assaulted, and that the Schumans, Ruth, and Aaron conspired to defame Carter,” the justices wrote on Tuesday.
Carter’s attorney has previously said the allegations cost the Backstreet Boys $2.3 million due to the forced cancellation of promotional events, endorsements, and a 2022 Christmas TV special, according to court documents.
A trial is scheduled for February 2026, though Schuman’s lawsuit against Carter was also given the legal green light in August 2024.
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