ABC has canceled theBackstreet BoysChristmas special in the wake of a sexual assault lawsuit againstNick Carter,Varietyreported.
A Very Backstreet Holiday, which was scheduled to air Dec. 14, was set to feature Carter and bandmatesKevin Richardson, AJ McLean,Brian LittrellandHowie Dorough, as well asSeth Rogen,Meghan Trainor,Rob RiggleandNikki Glaser, among others.
A source close to the singer has denied the allegations.
Michael Holtz, an attorney for Carter, later added in a statement sent to PEOPLE, “This claim about an incident that supposedly took place more than 20 years ago is not only legally meritless but also entirely untrue.”
Christopher Polk/Getty
Ruth, who is autistic and has cerebral palsy, claims in her lawsuit that she was waiting in an autograph line after a Backstreet Boys show in Tacoma, Washington when Carter invited her to his bus.
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The singer asked Ruth if she wanted a drink, and when she requested apple juice, he gave her a red-colored drink he called “VIP juice,” the complaint claims. Though Carter allegedly said the beverage was cranberry juice, Ruth believes it also contained alcohol.
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Ruth claims that Carter brought her to the bathroom, then demanded she perform oral sex on him. Afterward, the singer allegedly continued to sexually assault her on a bed. Ruth claimed that she was a virgin before the encounter, and that she contracted HPV.
Nick Carter.Gabe Ginsberg/Getty
The singer denied Schuman’s claims, saying that anything that happened between them was “consensual,” and he wasnever charged with a crime. The Los Angeles District Attorney’s office declined the case in 2018, citing an expired statute of limitations.
On the ABC special, the band was set to perform songs from its recently released 10th album,A Very Backstreet Christmas.
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go torainn.org.
source: people.com
