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Nick Carter, 42, has denied a claim that he sexually assaulted an autistic fan after inviting her onto the Backstreet Boys‘ tour bus in 2001. “This claim about an incident that supposedly took place more than 20 years ago is not only legally meritless but also entirely untrue,” his attorney, Michael Holtz, said in a statement obtained by HollywoodLife on Thursday, Dec. 8. “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.”
He continued, “No one should be fooled by a press stunt orchestrated by an opportunistic lawyer — there is nothing to this claim whatsoever, which we have no doubt the courts will quickly realize.” The woman, whose full name is Shannon “Shay” Ruth and who has cerebral palsy and autism, revealed her sexual assault lawsuit against Nick in a Dec. 8 press conference. The now 39-year-old alleged that Nick gave her what she believes was an alcoholic drink that he called “VIP juice” and then asked her for oral sex. She claimed that the original incident occurred in the bathroom of the tour bus and then moved to the bed.
This is a developing story.
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