LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – The Nevada Supreme Court has upheld a lower court ruling that found Nick Carter was likely defamed by three women who have accused him of sexual assault.
The initial complaint against the former Backstreet Boys singer filed in 2022 stated that Carter raped a 17-year-old girl with autism and cerebral palsy in 2001. The victim, now in her 40s, claimed she was invited on his tour bus and given “VIP juice,” an alcoholic cranberry drink before she was assaulted.
Melissa Schuman Henschel, a former member of the 90s girl group Dream, would also accuse Carter of assault. In her filing, she accused Carter of assaulting her in Santa Monica, Calif. while they were filming a movie together in 2003.
Nick Carter filed a countersuit naming both women and a third accuser in early 2023, claiming both women were defaming him in their accusations and highlighted “numerous inconsistencies” in police reports.
In August 2023, a district court judge denied an Anti-SLAPP motion from the women to dismiss the countersuit. The women appealed the ruling to the Supreme Court, disputing that Carter had not provided evidence of actual malice.
On Tuesday, a Supreme Court judge upheld the district court ruling, affirming that Carter was defamed by the women and allowing him to move forward with a countersuit
A trial in district court has been scheduled for February 2026.
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