Backstreet Boys singer sued for alleged rape of autistic fan

An autistic woman sued singer Nick Carter of the Backstreet Boys musical group on Thursday for allegedly raping and physically assaulting her in 2021 during a concert in Washington state, when she was a minor.

Shannon Ruth said during a press conference that the alleged attack occurred at the Tacoma Dome stadium, in the city of Tacoma,

.

The then popular youth band was on the

tour and

Ruth was a fan of the group.

The woman, who is currently 39 years old and claims to suffer from autism and cerebral palsy, said she met the singer when she was in line to ask for autographs and that he invited her to the bus where the band was touring the United States.

Backstreet Boys lead singer Nick Carter performs at the 2019 iHeartRadio Music Festival in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Getty Images

Ruth said that, once inside the vehicle, Carter offered her a pink drink which he described as

VIP juice' and

“For the last 21 years I have been filled with pain, confusion, frustration, shame and self-harm that is a direct result of being raped by Nick Carter,” Ruth told reporters during a news conference at a California hotel.

According to the lawsuit, filed in Clark County, Nevada, the singer forcibly removed her pants while she told him to "stop."

Carter, according to Ruth, told her to shut up, as he got on top of her and entered her, and that this would be their "special secret."

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"Even though I'm autistic and living with cerebral palsy, I don't think anything has affected me more than what Nick Carter did to me," he said.

And he added that Carter tried to "scare" her into silence and called her a "retarded bitch."

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The artist had not commented publicly on the lawsuit until Thursday, but a close source told the entertainment portal TMZ that the accusations were "false" and that Carter was "focused on his family" after the death of his brother. Aaron Carter occurred last month.

This is not the first time that the singer, currently 42, has been sued for alleged sexual assault.

Melissa Schuman, a former member of the band Dream, accused Carter in 2017 of sexually assaulting her in 2003, when she was 18.

The lawsuit did not proceed because the date of the alleged attack exceeded 10 years of the time required by law for a lawsuit of this type.

The artist said that moment saying that what he was accused of was "against his nature," according to The Rolling Stones review.

The lawsuit filed Thursday names three other women and claims they were also victims of Carter, including a 15-year-old.

However, none appears as a plaintiff.