Following reports that singer Nick Carter is being sued for allegedly sexually assaulting a 17-year-old fan during a 2001 tour, US television network ABC has cancelled a Backstreet Boys Christmas special.

A Very Backstreet Holiday was scheduled to air on December 14, however, it is no longer included in ABC’s schedule of holiday specials.

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Shannon Ruth, now 39, who claimed to have attended a show in 2001 as a fan, filed a civil lawsuit in Las Vegas on Thursday.

According to Carter’s attorney, it was “legally meritless” and “entirely untrue.”

It was reported by Variety and The Hollywood Reporter that ABC had decided to cancel the holiday programme, which had been taped in LA this month. It was also mentioned that comedic repeats will take its place.

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Ruth, a woman with cerebral palsy and autism, filed a lawsuit against the musician on Thursday, accusing him of raping her and giving her HPV.

At a virtual press conference, her attorney Mark Boskovich claimed that the incident took place while she stood in line for an autograph following a concert in Tacoma, Washington.

He claimed that Carter lured her aboard the bus, “gave her a funny tasting beverage that he called VIP juice,” and then demanded that she “perform sexual acts on him” before raping her.

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The singer said that due of her condition, “no-one would ever believe in her,” according to the lawyer, the AFP news agency reported.

Carter’s attorney, Michael Holtz, replied to the Variety report with the following statement: “This claim about an incident that supposedly took place more than 20 years ago is not only legally meritless but also entirely untrue.

“Unfortunately, for several years now, Ms Ruth has been manipulated into making false allegations about Nick – and those allegations have changed repeatedly and materially over time,” Holtz’s statement added.

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There is nothing to this claim at all, which we have no doubt the courts will shortly realise, he said, calling the release a “press stunt.”

Carter, AJ McLean, Kevin Richardson, Brian Littrell, and Howie Dorough were scheduled to play songs from their 10th album, A Very Backstreet Christmas, on A Very Backstreet Holiday. Seth Rogen and Meghan Trainor were also scheduled to make appearances.