One of Nick Carter’s accusers in a sexual assault case has encountered a procedural obstacle in court.
Documents filed in court, obtained by TMZ, show Shannon Ruth’s legal team seeking permission to withdraw from representing her in the case against the Backstreet Boys star.
The firm says it can no longer competently represent Ruth due to a breakdown in communication on the case’s core issues.
Ruth, who lives with autism and cerebral palsy, alleges Carter assaulted her aboard his tour bus in 2001 when she was 17, an incident he denies ever occurring.
Carter contends Ruth worked with another accuser, Melissa Schuman, to spread falsehoods about him as part of an effort to pressure him into a financial settlement.
Schuman, formerly a member of the pop group Dream, first sued Carter in April 2023. She alleges the entertainer invited her to his Santa Monica apartment while they were filming the made-for-TV teen horror film The Hollow.
She claims Carter served her a sedative-laced cocktail and raped her.
Carter denies the allegations and in July 2024 filed a cross-claim worth $2.5 million (£1.89 million) against Schuman.
Carter is also facing a lawsuit from Ashley Repp, who says he raped her on a yacht in 2003 when she was 15.
The claims of Ruth and Repp were consolidated with those of a fourth accuser, Laura Penly, for a single trial set to begin on 12 October.
In a prior Rolling Stone interview, Carter’s lawyers described the women’s allegations as baseless. He has not been charged with any crimes in connection with the claims.
