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Deadline confirmed that ABC will no longer be broadcast Top secret vacation after a woman who pretends street boys singer Nick Carter raped her as a teenager after one of the band’s concerts advertised in her suing. The musical special will be replaced by comedy rehearsals at 8 p.m. on December 14.
Shannon “Shay” Ruth, now 39, claims she was just 17 when Carter took her on his tour bus after a Backstreet Boys concert in Tacoma, Washington in 2001. She claims that the singer gave her what he called “VIP juice” and then sexually assaulted her.
“Carter tried to shut me up by saying no one would believe me if I told what happened,” Ruth said at a Beverly Hills press conference announcing the lawsuit, which was filed in Nevada.
“He was mean and threatening, saying I would go to jail if I said so. He also said he would turn people against me because he was Nick Carter and he had the power to destroy my life.
“Carter took away my childhood and my innocence, but he can’t and won’t take away my strength or my truth. I am a survivor and always will be.
Michael Holtz, an attorney for Carter, released a statement titled the allegation “not only without legal basis, but also entirely false.”
“Unfortunately, for several years now, Ms Ruth has been manipulated into making false allegations against Nick, and those allegations have changed repeatedly and materially over time,” he said. “No one should be fooled by a press stunt orchestrated by an opportunistic lawyer. There is nothing to this claim, which we have no doubt the courts will quickly realize.
Ruth said she decided to come forward now to “stop Nick Carter from doing this to someone else.”
Her attorney, Mark Boskovich, said the investigation into Ruth’s allegations led to other alleged victims who claimed they were sexually assaulted by the singer, and like Ruth, “they were all infected with HPV.
“I hope other women will come forward and stand with Shay,” he said.
Boskovich noted that Ruth is on the autism spectrum and has a mild case of cerebral palsy.
The ABC special was to feature the Backstreet Boys singing songs from their new holiday album along with classic hits and celebrating the season. It was supposed to air on December 14 and repeat on December 20.
City News Service contributed to this report.