Laura Penly has filed a lawsuit against Nick Carter, alleging sexual assault that resulted in her contracting STDs and developing Stage 2 cervical cancer. Penly claims the assault occurred around 2004, asserting that Carter, now 45, refused to use protection despite her requests. Following the incidents, she experienced significant emotional and physical distress. Penly seeks over $15,000 in damages, emphasizing the need for accountability in the music industry regarding sexual exploitation. Carter has denied the allegations, labeling them as false claims aimed at damaging his reputation, and he intends to fight these accusations, which follow similar claims from three other women.
- Laura Penly has initiated legal action against Nick Carter, alleging he committed sexual assault that subsequently resulted in cervical cancer
- The Backstreet Boys vocalist has refuted the claims
- Three additional women have previously accused Carter of sexual misconduct
Nick Carter is facing allegations of sexual assault from a woman who asserts in a new lawsuit that she acquired STDs that led to cervical cancer.
The lawsuit, secured by PEOPLE, reveals that Laura Penly claims the 45-year-old Backstreet Boys artist assaulted her around 2004 when she was approximately 19 years old. Carter has denied these allegations through a statement from his legal representatives.
According to Penly, they engaged in a “sexually intimate relationship” from December 2004 to February 2005, meeting approximately every few weeks during her visits to Los Angeles.
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Penly claims that sex was consensual at least three times before the situation allegedly changed while she was at his apartment in Hollywood.
Although she claims to have requested that he wear a condom, Penly alleges that Carter “refused,” leading her to believe “he was ‘clean’ of sexually transmittable diseases.”
The lawsuit indicates that Penly asserts she had never engaged in unprotected sex prior to her encounters with Carter.
She alleges that in early 2005, she visited his apartment again, intending only to watch movies with the singer. However, the lawsuit states that Carter “refused,” asserting that the only reason for her presence was to have sex.
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Penly’s lawsuit claims that the sexual assault occurred “forcefully” on his bed, despite her “saying ‘no’ multiple times.”
Carter allegedly “failed to use protection to prevent the spread of sexually transmitted infections to” Penly.
According to her lawsuit, the woman states she was instructed to keep the incident confidential, as no one would believe her. However, a few months later, Carter purportedly apologized, leading to a subsequent meeting where she claims she was assaulted again.
Penly asserts that Carter “infected her with various sexually transmitted diseases, including the human papillomavirus (HPV), a sexually transmitted infection associated with health risks such as cervical cancer.”
In approximately July 2005, after a doctor’s appointment, she allegedly tested positive for chlamydia, gonorrhea, and cancerous cells.
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By August, she was “diagnosed with Stage 2 cervical cancer and underwent multiple treatments,” resulting in “severe emotional distress, physical suffering, medical complications, intimacy issues, and other complex trauma” for Penly.
She alleges that she has faced harassment from Carter’s fans after recounting her experience in a deposition.
Citing Carter’s “willful and conscious disregard” for her safety, Penly is seeking damages exceeding $15,000 and has requested a jury trial.
“It takes immense courage and resilience for survivors of sexual assault to step forward publicly in pursuit of justice, especially within an industry that has long tolerated a culture of sexual exploitation,” stated Gianna N. Elliot, an attorney from Marsh Law Firm representing Penly. “Carter has exploited his power, status, and fame to sexually abuse and assault numerous young women while evading accountability. This lawsuit seeks to disrupt that pattern.”
“We hope that Laura attains the justice she rightfully deserves, and that this lawsuit acts as a catalyst, empowering other survivors to voice their experiences and hold their abusers responsible,” Elliot added.
Carter has refuted Penly’s allegations.
“This is merely a continuation of the same baseless claims from a group of conspirators and their legal representatives who are exploiting the justice system in attempts to tarnish Nick Carter’s reputation. It follows the same predictable pattern – lying in wait for decades until Mr. Carter is enjoying a professional success, then cloaking false allegations under litigation privilege to inflict maximum damage on him and his family,” lawyers Liane K. Wakayama and Dale Hayes, Jr., stated to PEOPLE.
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“Nick does not recall ever meeting Laura Penly. He certainly never had any romantic or sexual relationship with her. Ever,” they declared, indicating plans to “contest” the allegations.
Melissa Schuman, Ashley Repp, and Shannon Ruth have also accused the singer of sexual assault, marking Penly as the fourth woman to come forward. Carter has denied these claims as well, filing a countersuit for defamation against Schuman and Ruth in 2023. In 2024, a judge ruled that Carter could not countersue Repp for defamation.
Schuman’s case is set to begin in California in December, while the cases of Repp and Ruth will be heard together in Nevada in March 2026.
If you or someone you know has experienced sexual assault, please reach out to the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or visit rainn.org.