Nick Carter sued by autistic woman who claims singer raped her on tour bus when he was 21

Shannon “Shay” Ruth alleged during a press conference with her lawyers on Thursday, which was streamed on Facebook, that the Backstreet Boys member sexually assaulted her while the band was on tour in Tacoma, Washington, US, Page Six reports.

“The last 21 years have been filled with pain, confusion, frustration shame and self-harm that are a direct result of Nick Carter raping me,” Ruth alleged. “Even though I’m autistic and live with cerebral palsy, I believe that nothing has affected me more or had a more lasting impact on my life than what Nick Carter did and said to me,” she said.

“After he raped me, I remember him calling me a ‘ret**ded b**ch’ and grabbing me and leaving bruises on my arm,” Ruth further alleged. “Carter tried to scare me into silence … he was nasty and threatening,” she claimed. During the press conference, Ruth said she had been hesitant to speak out because she believed that she could “go to jail” if she told anyone what allegedly occurred.

Ruth is suing the ‘Quit Playing Games (With My Heart)’ singer for ‘sexual battery’ and "intentional and negligent infliction of emotional distress." "This accusation is categorically false, Nick is focusing on his family and mourning the death of his brother," a source close to Carter told TMZ. Carter was accused of rape in the past when a former teen pop singer Melissa Schuman claimed the incident took place in 2017 when she was just 18 years old. The star denied Schuman’s claim and said that anything that happened between them was ‘consensual’. “I am shocked and saddened by Ms Schuman’s accusations. 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,” Carter responded with a statement, reports People.

The singer was never charged with a crime since The Los Angeles District Attorney’s office declined the case in 2018 amid the expiration of the statute of limitations.

Carter's family is going through a difficult phase as they are mourning the death of brother Aaron Carter. The ‘Crush on You’ on your singer was found dead in his bathtub on November 5, at age of 34. Nick is a father to three young children with Lauren, as he continues to tour with his popular band, Backstreet Boys. Recently, with Aaron’s twin sister Angel, he introduced a donation fund for youth mental health in honor of their late sibling.

Nick wrote on his social media page, "Very grateful for the outpouring of love and support for my brother.” The fund’s page reads, “Thank you for choosing to celebrate the impact of the life of Aaron Carter with a gift of hope. By honoring Aaron, you help Nick, Angel, and their family's commitment of helping others."