13 April 2023 , 14:22
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Nick Carter has been accused of sexual assault and battery by singer Melissa Schuman.
The Dream singer has launched a new lawsuit against Nick over an incident that allegedly happened back in 2002 in Santa Monica, California.
According to legal documents seen by TMZ, the former Backstreet Boys member was accused of forcing Melissa to perform and receive acts of oral sex. At the time, she was 18 and he was 22.
The publication reported that Melissa claims to have had her first sexual experience with Nick, reportedly telling him that she did not want to have sex until she was married.
The legal manoeuvre comes five years after Melissa filed a police report with the Santa Monica Police Department against Nick where prosecutors didn't pursue the case.
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Melissa has accused Nick of sexual assault (Getty Images for iHeartRadio) In a blog post from November 2017, she claimed that she was "forced to engage in an act against my will."
Nick responded with a statement saying he was "always respectful" and "supportive" both "professionally and personally," adding that he was "shocked and saddened" by the allegation.
"Melissa never expressed to me while we were together or at any time since that anything we did was not consensual," the statement read.
Nick once claimed he was "always supportive" of Melissa (WireImage)Melissa hopes that a civil judge will review the information in the case, having cited a new bill in California that allows the lifting of the statute of limitations for civil actions on civil sexual-abuse and harassment claims.
Nick's lawyer Liane K. Wakayama told The Mirror: "Melissa Schuman has been peddling this tale for many years, but her allegation was false when she first made it back in 2017 - and it still is.
"A judge in Nevada recently ruled, after reviewing the extensive evidence we laid out, that there are strong grounds for Nick Carter to proceed with his lawsuit against Ms. Schuman for plotting to damage, defame and extort Nick, his associates, his friends and his family," she added.
Nick's lawyer branded Melissa's claims as a "PR stunt" (Getty Images for iHeartRadio)Liane continued to say that Melissa's latest "PR stunt" won't distract Nick from "his determination to hold Ms. Schuman and her co-conspirators to account for the immeasurable pain and suffering their extortionate conduct has caused."
The lawsuit comes after Nick named Melissa in a $2.3 million suit against Shannon Ruth, who also accused him of sexual assault, according to TMZ.
In the suit, Nick claims that Melissa coached Shannon into an extortion attempt that he claims cost him millions in lost wages.