Backstreet Boys member Nick Carter asked a judge for permission to include the mother of Melissa Schuman, the woman who accused him of sexual assault, as a defendant in the extortion and defamation case that he filed against the accuser in 2023.
Carter's legal team shared their plan to include Schuman's mother, Leisha Stinson, in the lawsuit filed to seek damages for damaging the pop star's reputation.
The team previously deposed Schuman's father, Jerome Schuman, who was also one of the defendants in the case. A report from US Magazine shared that during his deposition, Jerome testified that his daughter and his ex-wife were managing an anonymous Twitter (now X) account.
Carter's team believes that the social media account mentioned was used against the pop star as part of their extortion plans.
According to the pop star, the Twitter account was used to spread 'false, fabricated, defamatory and menacing statements' about him. He also claimed that Stinson or the rest of Schuman's family 'actively concealed the true identity of the owner of the Twitter account.'
His motion to the court also reads, 'Then they used the foregoing sham account to defame Carter and pursue their extortive goals.' He asked the court to allow Stinson to be added as a defendant so that she could be 'held accountable for the harm and damages that her illicit conduct has caused.'
The judge handling the case has yet to issue a ruling regarding the request.
All About the Lawsuit
Schuman, a former member of a girl group called Dream, publicly accused Carter of rape in November 2017. She claimed that the incident happened in 2003 based on the documents filed by the LA County District Attorney's Office.
According to the accuser, Carter gave her a drink and slipped a roofie in it before sexually assaulting her. The 'Help Me' singer denied the allegation, but admitted that he had a consensual encounter with Schuman that same year.
'After having consensual sex, [Melissa] and [Carter] fell asleep. [Melissa] slept next to [Carter] through the night,' a rep from Carter's legal team said. 'At no point in time did [Carter] sexually assault [Schuman] or any other person.'
Carter filed a countersuit against Schuman, her father, and another accuser named Shannon Ruth, seeking damages for defamation worth $2.5 million (approximately £2 million).
Moving On with the Backstreet Boys
While the lawsuit unfolds, Carter has spent his time doing a highly successful Las Vegas residency with his fellow Backstreet Boys members Kevin Richardson, Brian Littrell, Howie D, and AJ McLean. While the residency has ended, he said that they might take the tour to other places in the world.
Carter said that he will be eternally grateful for the experience. When asked for his thoughts about adding new places to go to for new experiences, the youngest Backstreet Boys member said, 'Then maybe towards the end [of the residency], we'll start preparing to take that show on the road.'
The other Backstreet Boys members are staying silent about the boy band's next steps, leaving fans to speculate about the possibility of a global tour.
