Nick Carter Rape Lawsuit to Move Forward

Warning: Sexual Content

"The lawsuit alleging Backstreet Boys member Nick Carter raped singer and actress Melissa Schuman in his California apartment more than 20 years ago received a trial date on Wednesday," Rolling Stone magazine reports.

Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Lisa K. Sepe-Wiesenfeld set the jury trial for May 10, 2027, after the plaintiff and defendant agreed that mediation was not working.

Carter had asked for the case to be tried in Nevada, arguing "it belonged in Las Vegas, where he was already suing Schuman for allegedly conspiring with two other rape accusers to harass, defame, and extort him. But Sepe-Wiesenfeld said Schuman had properly filed her lawsuit in Los Angeles County, noting Schuman alleges Carter raped her in Santa Monica in 2003, and that the Santa Monica Police Department investigated the claim."

"Schuman, a former member of the pop group DREAM, first sued Carter in April 2023," Rolling Stone stated. "She alleges the pop idol invited her over to his Santa Monica apartment while they were cast as co-stars in the 2004 made-for-TV teen horror film The Hollow."

"She alleges Carter fed her a sedative-laced cocktail and performed oral sex on her, over her protests, before raping her on a twin bed. She was 18 at the time while Carter was about 23, according to her lawsuit."

"[Schuman] told him over and over that she was a virgin, that she was saving herself for her future husband, and that she did not want to have sex. Carter continued to force himself on her, whispering in her ear that he could be her husband," her lawsuit alleges. "[She] could not get away from him, he was too heavy. Defendant Carter forced vaginal penetration of plaintiff. Plaintiff went limp and disassociated."

Rolling Stone further reports, "Carter, 45, denies the allegations and filed a $2.5 million cross-complaint against Schuman in July 2024, accusing her of defamation and claiming she fabricated the alleged assault to extort money. He alleges he and Schuman were 'flirtatious with one another' throughout the time in question and 'ultimately engaged in consensual sex.' He says Schuman 'happily and enthusiastically' agreed to perform a musical duet with him at a subsequent live music showcase."

"In the 2024 Investigation Discovery docuseries Fallen Idols: Nick and Aaron Carter, Schuman alleges she felt pressured into recording the duet with Carter by her management at the time. She further claims she didn’t know Carter would be at the showcase until it was too late."

Carter is currently the defendant in several other claims of sexual assault, but has not been charged with any crimes.

Nick Carter (Photo credit: Kyle Besler)