Backstreet’s back, alright… Nick Carter, the longtime Backstreet Boys heartthrob, is facing his fourth sexual assault lawsuit, this time from a woman who claims their 2005 relationship ended in trauma.
After the likes of Russell Brand, Jean-Claude Van Damme, and of course, Diddy, Nick Carter is the latest in a long line of famous 2000s celebrities invovled in a sexual assualt lawsuit.
According to a civil complaint filed last week in Nevada, Laura Penly alleges Carter raped her twice during their relationship, first in 2004 when she was 19 and he was 25. Penly says the pair had consensual sex a few times before things took a dark turn: Carter allegedly became aggressive, ignored her refusal, and told her “the only reason she was there was to have sex.” She claims Carter failed to use protection, which she says led to her contracting HPV and, later, cervical cancer.
Penly’s complaint details a second alleged assault two months later, after Carter apologized and asked to see her again—only to isolate her in a bedroom and rape her a second time.
Carter’s legal team, Liane K. Wakayama and Dale Hayes, Jr., wasted no time firing back, calling the lawsuit “just more of the same nonsense from the gang of conspirators and their lawyers who continue to abuse the justice system.” They insist Carter doesn’t even recall meeting Penly, let alone having a relationship, and accuse her of having a “documented history of financial and legal trouble.” The attorneys say they’ll not only fight the suit but seek sanctions against Penly’s legal team.
This latest lawsuit joins a growing list: In December 2022, Shannon Ruth accused Nick Carter of sexual assault after a Backstreet Boys concert in 2001. Former Dream singer Melissa Schuman also alleges Carter raped her in 2003. Carter has countersued Ruth, Schuman, and Schuman’s father, seeking $2.5 million in damages.
Meanwhile, the Carter family’s complicated history is back in the spotlight thanks to a new docuseries, which explores the family’s rise, fall, and the tragedies that have haunted them.
Penly is seeking damages in excess of $15,000 and has requested a jury trial. For now, the legal drama around Carter shows no sign of stopping—unlike the Backstreet Boys’ greatest hits.
