Nick Carter looked carefree and unbothered when he stepped out in New York City with his fellow Backstreet Boys members on Dec. 8. Despite making headlines for a sexual assault lawsuit filed against him that same day, Nick smiled and waved to fans waiting for BSB outside the Empire State Building. He looked to be in good spirits as he acknowledged the eager fans.
The outing came following Nick’s denial of the sexual battery allegations against him. In a lawsuit, a woman claims that the alleged sexual assault happened on a Backstreet Boys tour bus in 2001. She says she was 17 at the time of the alleged incident. Nick denied the accusations in a statement via his lawyer.
“This claim about an incident that supposedly took place more than 20 years ago is not only legally meritless but also entirely untrue,” Nick’s lawyer said in a statement. “Unfortunately, for several years now, Ms. Ruth has been manipulated into making force allegations about Nick and those allegations have changed repeatedly and materially over time.” The lawyer also called the lawsuit a “press stunt”.
Meanwhile, ABC has decided that it will not air its upcoming holiday special, A Very Backstreet Holiday, amidst the allegations, according to Variety. The Christmas special was filmed earlier this month and was set to air on the network on Dec. 14. The Backstreet Boys performed several holiday songs during the now-pulled special, and there were special guests in attendance, like Seth Rogen and Meghan Trainor.
In November, Nick’s younger brother, Aaron Carter, was found dead in his home, and the singer has been grieving in the weeks since. Although the two weren’t always close, Nick was saddened by the news of Aaron’s death. However, he has continued to fulfill his work obligations with BSB following the tragedy.