Nick Carter is currently under review by the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office over sexual assault allegations made by actress/singer Melissa Schuman. These charges result from an alleged incident which occurred in 2003, and the charges were presented on July 31st by the Santa Monica Police Department. Schuman first made these claims publicly through an online post she published in November of last year, claiming to be empowered by the #MeToo movement to come forward and present her story. This story is still ongoing, but here's what we know about the situation.
As it was reported by Deadline earlier today, Melissa Schuman filed a police report in February. She claimed Nick Carter forced Schuman to "participate in an act against her will" in the bathroom, reportedly performing oral sex on her, despite her objections, in his Santa Monica apartment's bathroom. He was 22 and she was 18 when this reported incident occurred. She also alleged that he demanded she perform oral sex on him, before reportedly taking her into his bedroom and assaulting her, as the actress claimed in a blog post published on November 19th (via Us Weekly).
It's believed to be around the time Nick Carter and Melissa Schuman made the fantasy TV movie The Hollow together, although that's not confirmed. In response to the claims made by Schuman, Carter denies the allegations. In a statement released by the musician, the Backstreet Boys member claims to be "shocked and saddened" by the accusations made against his character. The L.A. Police Department will continue to investigate this situation.
Here's the official statement released by Nick Carter regarding this criminal investigation.
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. 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.
When Melissa Schuman filed the police report in February, meanwhile, she released the following statement at the time.
Filing the police report today was the single most empowering thing I have ever done for myself. I thought it was an option I could no longer pursue. A huge thank you to [anti-sexual violence organization] RAINN for empowering me to take this step.
Melissa Schuman is best known for her role in the all-girl teen band Dream from 1998 to 2002. Among their most popular hits were "He Loves U Not" and "This Is Me." She also appeared in movies such as Love Don't Cost A Thing and Window Theory, in addition to the aforementioned The Hollow.
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