Nick Carter sued by woman accusing him of raping her when she was 17 during Backstreet Boys tour

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. -- Backstreet Boys member Nick Carter is being accused of raping and physically assaulting a 17-year-old fan following a 2001 concert, according to a lawsuit filed on Thursday.

Shannon "Shay" Ruth said the alleged incident occurred after she attended a Backstreet Boys show in Tacoma, Washington.

"The last 21 years have been filled with pain, confusion, frustration, shame and self-harm that are a direct result of Nick Carter raping me," Ruth said at an emotional press conference in Beverly Hills.

A 39-year-old woman and her attorney announced she has filed a lawsuit against Backstreet Boys member Nick Carter, alleging the singer physically assaulted and raped her in 2001.

The lawsuit states that the alleged sexual assault took place on a tour bus where Carter had invited Ruth to join him.

"My motivation for coming forward today and filing this lawsuit is to stop Nick Carter from assaulting more teens and women," Ruth said. "I know now that I wasn't the only woman that Nick Carter did this to."

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Carter has not publicly responded to the allegations.

The lawsuit further accuses him of infecting Ruth with HPV, and the court document says three unnamed "Jane Does" also claim that the boy-band member assaulted them and infected them with human papillomavirus, a sexually transmitted disease.

Ruth's attorney, Mark Boskovich, said she has autism and lives with mild cerebral palsy.

"These women's stories are remarkably similar," Boskovich told reporters. "They were all virgins when they were sexually assaulted by Carter, and they were all infected with HPV. We're hoping that anyone else who has been sexually assaulted by Carter will call or email us."