by 
Images by Ray Tamarra/GC
Nick Carter is battling two women who claim he raped him more than 15 years ago.
The Backstreet Boys singer, 43, filed a lawsuit against Shannon Ruth, who sued him in December for alleged sexual assault. In his countersuit, he also sued Melissa Schuman, a former teen pop singer with girl group Dream, who accused him of rape in 2017.
The countersuit claims that the two women took advantage of the #MeToo movement and used it to launch a five-year conspiracy to “defame and disparage Carter and otherwise tarnish his reputation for the purpose of gaining attention and fame and/or extorting money from Carter,” according to the suit obtained from PEOPLE.
Reed Saxon/AP/Shutterstock
The countersuit describes Schuman and Ruth as “opportunists” who set out to “destroy innocent lives” and caused more than $2.3 million in losses after the December indictment.
Ruth’s attorney, Mark J. Boskovich, told Page Six, “Why should Nick Carter be believed with his long history of abusing women? A jury will weigh the evidence and decide.”
Boskovich did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
Schuman, now 38, said in 2017 that Carter allegedly raped her while the two were working on a project together in the early 2000s. Schuman blogged on her website at the time in which she claimed she was invited to Carter’s house, and the two began kissing in the bathroom before he performed oral sex on her despite her objection.
RELATED: Melissa Schuman, Nick Carter rape accuser, explains why she came forward: ‘I needed this healing’
She was 18 and he was 22 at the time, she said.
Despite telling Carter that she was a virgin and had waited until marriage to have sex, Carter led her to his bedroom, where she claims he raped her.
In December, Ruth announced she was suing Carter during a press conference.
Ruth, who has autism and cerebral palsy, said she was waiting in an autograph line after a 2001 Backstreet Boys show in Tacoma, Washington, when Carter invited her to his bus.
RELATED VIDEO: Nick Carter Sued For Sexual Battery In 2001 Fan Incident As Source Denies Allegations
The singer allegedly asked Ruth if she wanted a drink, and when she asked for apple juice, he gave her a red-colored drink he called “VIP juice,” the documents said. Although Carter allegedly said the drink was cranberry juice, Ruth believes it also contained alcohol.
Carter has previously denied both allegations. The counterclaim states that he believes he never met Ruth.
Carter’s attorneys did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
The counterclaim alleges that Schuman and his father Jerome Schuman groomed Ruth, who “was a vulnerable and highly impressionable individual, eager for attention and desperate to fit in.”
RELATED: Nick Carter sued for sexual battery in 2001 Fan Incident as source denies allegations
Claims in the countersuit also allege that Schuman took advantage of his late brother Aaron Carter, who died in November.
“The timing of the Schumans could not have been better as, at the time, Aaron was addicted to drugs, battling serious mental health issues and engaged in a misguided campaign of retaliation against Carter and other members of his family who were concerned about Aaron and prompting him to seek professional help,” according to the lawsuit. “Schuman, Jerome and Ruth exploited Aaron’s fragile condition and family stress to disguise their smear campaign with credibility, relentlessly and repeatedly using Aaron to try to legitimize their frivolous tales.”
Never miss a story – subscribe to PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up to date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
According to the lawsuit, Aaron realized he was being used and apologized to Carter.
“In the months leading up to his recent death, Aaron not only apologized to Carter for his involvement in the Counter-Defendants’ smear campaign, but publicly stated that Schuman and Ruth were liars,” the lawsuit states.
The countersuit is Carter’s attempt to clear his name.
“Just as real victims of sexual assault have the right to seek justice and to be heard, so too do individuals falsely accused of sexual assault have the right to due legal process and to defend themselves by telling the truth,” the lawsuit states.
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.
