A Very Backstreet Holiday, an ABC holiday special that was scheduled to debut this month, has been canceled, according to EW. The choice was made in response to a lawsuit that accused band member Nick Carter of rape and was filed on Thursday.
Shannon “Shay” Ruth accuses Carter of raping her during a concert in Tacoma, Washington, in the complaint that EW was able to get. Ruth, who is autistic and has CP, claims that Carter brought her onto his tour bus while she was in line for an autograph following the concert.
She claims he regularly attacked her there, giving her an alcoholic beverage he termed “VIP juice,” and infected her with the human papillomavirus (HPV) in the process.
Ruth allegedly remained silent for years because he allegedly threatened to take action against her if she ever informed anybody what had happened.
Ruth is bringing the action as a result of a Nevada law passed in 2021 that eliminated the statute of limitations for claims of child sex abuse (similar laws in other states have opened up new lawsuits against Bill Cosby and Warren Beatty).
ABC has pulled the Backstreet Boys' 2022 holiday special in the wake of a sexual assault suit filed against member Nick Carter. https://t.co/Sjg8p06v6R
— Entertainment Weekly (@EW) December 9, 2022
The lawsuit makes further claims in addition to hers. Carter is accused of sexually assaulting three additional victims in different events between 2003 and 2006; all three plaintiffs have requested anonymity.
Michael Holtz, Carter’s attorney, is disputing the accusations.
In a statement provided to EW, Holtz added, “This claim regarding an incident that allegedly occurred more than 20 years ago is not only legally meritless but also utterly incorrect.”
He went on, “Unfortunately, Ms. Ruth has been duped into making false accusations against Nick for a number of years, and those accusations have altered repeatedly and dramatically over time. There is absolutely no truth to this accusation and no one should be duped by a press stunt put on by an opportunistic lawyer, which the courts will swiftly realize.”
Carter has already been charged with sexual harassment. Former Dream member Melissa Schuman accused Carter in 2017 of raping her back in 2002.
At the time, Carter responded in a statement by claiming, “Melissa never hinted to me during our relationship or afterward that anything we did wasn’t mutually agreed upon.
Then, we made a song and performed it together.” Due to the statute of limitations passed, Los Angeles prosecutors decided not to press charges.
Read More:
