Backstreet Boys' singer Nick Carter accused of sexually assaulting 17-year-old girl during 2001 tour

• A civil sexual assault lawsuit was filed against Backstreet Boys singer Nick Carter on Thursday.
• A woman alleged he sexually assaulted her on a tour bus in 2001 when shen was 17, per the complaint.

Content note: This story contains descriptions of sexual assault.

Backstreet Boys' Nick Carter faces a new lawsuit filed by a woman on Thursday stating that the singer sexually assaulted her and gave her HPV when she was a 17-year-old in 2001.

The plaintiff, Shannon Ruth, who is seeking compensatory and punitive monetary damages, states in the complaint that Carter, then 21 years old, invited her onto a Backstreet Boys tour bus following a concert in Tacoma, Washington. Attorneys for both parties did not immediately return Insider's request for comment.

The singer served her a beverage she believes was a mix of alcohol and cranberry juice, which he called "VIP juice," and then ordered her to perform oral sex on him before sexually assaulting her.

"When Plaintiff tried to leave the tour bus, Carter stopped her," the complaint reads. "He grabbed Plaintiff's arm, leaving a bruise, and screamed at her. He told Plaintiff she was a 'retarded little bitch' and no one would believe her. Carter went on to tell Plaintiff that any of the females waiting for his autograph outside would have wanted her experience."

Carter told Ruth to "get on her knees" before forcing her to give him oral sex through tears, later pushing her onto a bed and forcefully penetrating her, the lawsuit added.

The civil lawsuit, which was filed in Clark County, Nevada, also lists three other women identified only as Jane Does —including a woman who was 15 years old at the time — accusing Carter of sexual assaulting them between 2003 and 2006. All four women also say Carter infected them with HPV while he was at the height of his fame as an artist.

"Carter threatened to turn people against her (Ruth) and deny his knowledge of her," the lawsuit states. "He said that he was Nick Carter, and that he had the power to do that. Due to his various threats, Plaintiff did not report Carter's crimes for many years."

Ruth, along with her attorneys, announced the lawsuit at a Thursday press conference at the Beverly Hilton hotel in Los Angeles.

"The last 21 years have been filled with pain, confusion, frustration, shame, and self-harm that are a direct result of Nick Carter raping me," Ruth said at the press conference in Los Angeles, which was broadcast on Facebook Live. Ruth added: "Even though I'm autistic and live with cerebral palsy, I believe nothing has affected me more or had a more lasting impact on my life than what Nick Carter did and said to me."

In 2017, Carter was accused of a 2002 rape by singer Melissa Schuman, which he denied at the time.

"I am shocked and saddened by Ms. Schuman's accusations. Melissa never expressed to me while we were together or at any time since that anything we did was not consensual," Carter wrote at the time, according to Variety. "We went on to record a song and perform together, and I was always respectful and supportive of Melissa both personally and professionally. This is the first that I am hearing about these accusations, nearly two decades later. It is contrary to my nature and everything I hold dear to intentionally cause someone discomfort or harm."

Carter's brother, Aaron Carter, was found dead last month at 34.