Tue Apr 15 08:00:00 UTC 2025: ## Backstreet Boys’ Nick Carter Hit with New Sexual Assault Lawsuit
**Las Vegas, NV –** Backstreet Boys singer Nick Carter is facing a fresh lawsuit alleging sexual assault. Laura Penly, a former acquaintance of Carter’s, claims he raped her twice in 2005, when she was 19 and he was 25. The civil complaint, filed in Nevada, details two alleged incidents. The first allegedly occurred in Los Angeles after Penly, who had previously engaged in consensual sex with Carter, refused further intimacy. Penly alleges Carter forcibly raped her despite her protests. Approximately two months later, Penly claims Carter again assaulted her at his apartment, this time in the presence of two friends.
This is the fourth lawsuit alleging sexual assault against Carter. He is also facing accusations from Melissa Schuman (former Dream singer), Shannon “Shay” Ruth, and Ashley Repp, all of whom claim Carter sexually assaulted them. Carter’s legal team vehemently denies all allegations, labeling the plaintiffs as “conspirators” attempting to capitalize on his career resurgence. They further claim Penly has a history of financial and legal troubles and that her health issues are unrelated to Carter. Penly alleges Carter infected her with STIs, resulting in a cervical cancer diagnosis.
Carter’s lawyers have stated they will fight the lawsuit and seek sanctions against Penly’s legal team. Trials are already scheduled for other cases against Carter: Schuman’s case in December, and a consolidated trial for Ruth and Repp in March 2026. Penly’s lawsuit seeks compensatory and punitive damages. While Carter has denied all allegations and countersued for defamation in some cases, he has not been criminally charged. The timing of this new lawsuit coincides with the release of a new documentary about the Carter family on Paramount+.
First Piper 