Backstreet Boys singer Nick Carter's countersuit against rape accuser dismissed | Courts

A judge on Tuesday dismissed a defamation countersuit filed by Backstreet Boys singer Nick Carter after a woman accused him of sexual assault, the woman's lawyer said.

Ashley Repp, represented by attorneys John Kawai and Margaret Mabie, filed suit against Carter alleging that he raped her on his yacht in 2003 when she was 15 years old.

Carter filed a countersuit for defamation, arguing that Repp was part of a conspiracy along with other women, Shannon Ruth and Melissa Schuman, who had also accused him of sexual assault.

In the countersuit, Carter admitted to having sex with Repp in 2003. He said he believed she was 18 and Repp had told him so. Repp's lawyers argued in a statement that this was an admission of rape of minors.

Repp's motion to dismiss Carter's countersuit was an anti-SLAPP motion. SLAPP is short for strategic litigation against public participation. The motion seeks to dismiss lawsuits filed to punish someone for exercising their First Amendment rights. In Repp's case, that was the accusation of a crime.

“I am so grateful that my 15-year-old self's voice is finally being heard and believed. All I ever wanted was to be free. I hope anyone else struggling can do the same,” Repp said in a statement shared by her lawyers.

The motion was the third anti-SLAPP motion filed against Carter “in response to his efforts to obtain a fair trial,” according to his dissent filed with the court.

Unlike Repp's motion, which was approved by Judge Joe Hardy, Ruth and Schuman's motion was denied.

“More and more defendants are responding to sexual abuse lawsuits by suing survivors for defamation,” Margaret Mabie, one of Repp's attorneys, said in a statement. “These attempts to cover up the truth about sexual abuse have a massive chilling effect on survivors seeking to file lawsuits against powerful people.”

Repp's lawyers said in a statement that while Carter's counterclaims in his lawsuits against Schuman and Ruth remain valid, “all survivors can celebrate that Ashley Repp prevailed against Carter.”

Because Schuman's motion to dismiss Carter's countersuit against her was denied in September 2023, the countersuit is still pending. Carter recently filed another countersuit against Schuman in California, dated July 26, court records show.

Schuman's attorney, Karen Menzies, said the countersuit “makes the same arguments as his stalled lawsuit in Nevada, and both show that he is defending himself against allegations of sexual assault by attacking the victims.”

In his countersuit in a Los Angeles court, Carter describes the allegations against him by Schuman, a member of the girl group Dream, as a “despicable attempt to regain his fame.”

Carter accused Schuman of publishing a “defamatory blog” describing the alleged assault and making “defamatory statements” in press appearances.

The countersuit lists endorsement deals with MeUndies, VRBO, Tonies and Roblox, as well as a brand partnership with clothing company The Children's Place, as some of Carter's losses that “cost him millions.”

“In the last ten months alone, no fewer than four venues have been booked for Carter's Who I am “His remuneration was significantly reduced due to the interruption of ticket sales following Schuman’s defamatory statements during his solo tour,” the counterclaim states.

According to Kawai, Hardy on Tuesday also denied Carter's motion for summary judgment in the case against him, in which Ruth alleged that Carter raped her on his tour bus when she was 17.

The summary judgment would have ended the case sooner rather than later and without a trial.

“In the meantime, we will file a motion to recover our attorneys' fees and costs, as well as any other penalties permitted under Nevada law,” Kawai said.

Carter's lawyers declined to comment on Tuesday's hearing.

Contact Estelle Atkinson at [email protected].