Nick Carter was accused of rape.
(CNN) --
Backstreet Boys member Nick Carter has been accused by a 39-year-old woman with autism and cerebral palsy who says the singer raped her as a teenager on the group's tour bus in 2001.
Shannon "Shay" Ruth filed a sexual assault lawsuit Thursday in Clark County, Nevada, alleging that Carter gave her alcohol and attacked her after a concert in Tacoma, Washington, in February 2001. She was 17 years old. at the time of the alleged assault.
In a statement provided to CNN by his attorney Michael Holtz, the singer denied the allegation.
“This claim about an incident that allegedly took place more than 20 years ago is not only without legal basis, but is also completely false,” the statement read.
"Unfortunately, for several years, Ms. Ruth has been manipulated into making false accusations about Nick, and those accusations have repeatedly and materially changed over time."
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Ruth alleges in her complaint that Carter picked her out of a line of autograph-seeking fans, invited her to her tour bus, and gave her “VIP juice,” which she believes was a mixture of cranberry juice and alcohol.
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After the alleged attack, Ruth says she contracted "the human papillomavirus (commonly known as HPV), a sexually transmitted infection known to cause health problems such as genital warts and cervical cancer," according to the complaint.
During a press conference held in Beverly Hills, California, on Thursday, Ruth said: "The last 21 years have been filled with pain, confusion, frustration, shame and self-harm that are the direct result of Nick Carter raping me."
No criminal charges were filed for the alleged assault.
ABC will no longer air the television special "A Very Backstreet Holiday," scheduled for December 14, in light of this lawsuit.
In their place, previously aired comedies will air, CNN has learned.
The Backstreet Boys performing in July.
(Photo by Michael Loccisano/Getty Images)
Carter faced a similar accusation in 2017, after former pop singer Melissa Schuman accused him of raping her 15 years earlier.
Prosecutors in Los Angeles, where Schuman sought tried to bring charges against Carter, chose not to because she had expired.
Nick Carter accused of rape: the Backstreet Boy denies the allegation
Carter, 38, also denied the allegations at the time, in a statement provided to CNN.
“Melissa never expressed to me — while we were together or at any time since — that what we did was not consensual,” Carter said in the statement.
“We recorded a song and performed together, and I was always respectful and supportive of Melissa both personally and professionally.”
CNN's Sandra González contributed to this report.
Backstreet BoysNick CarterRape