Nick Carter, the Backstreet Boys member, claims that 12 people are going to back him up in the sexual battery lawsuit, per a report by TMZ based on exclusively obtained legal documents. 

Shannon Ruth sued Carter last December saying that he sexually assaulted her after a concert in 2001, when she was underage. Carter, however, claims with the support of his 12 witnesses, which include fans, security personnel and a talent manager, that Ruth’s version is ‘factually impossible.’ 

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While making the allegations, Ruth said she is autistic and had cerebral palsy. She claims that she got in line to get Carter’s autograph after the show when he invited her back to his tour bus, forced her to take alcohol and perform oral sex on him. 

Carter claims that it was impossible for him to interact with Ruth and he has got people from the concert to back him up. His witnesses say that there was no autographs line and fans had no access to the performers or the bus staging area, contrary to Ruth’s claims.  

Carter has also got one of Ruth’s closest friends to testify against her, effectively saying that she is lying about being autistic and suffering from cerebral palsy. On top of that, the friend also said that Ruth could not possibly have been at the concert on that day. 

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Carter claims in the lawsuit that Ruth’s allegations are an attempted money grab – a plot to extort him.

In early February 2023, the Los Angeles Times reported that Carter countersued her, as well as another accuser, saying that they were ‘opportunists’ taking undue advantage of the #MeToo movement. 

The claimed that Carter has said in his lawsuit that the women are seeking to “destroy innocent lives” and “defame and vilify Carter and otherwise ruin his reputation for the purposes of garnering attention and fame and/or extorting money from Carter.”