Former NBA All-Star Dwight Howard has denied that he sexually assaulted a person in Georgia all through a 2021 stumble upon. A person named Stephen Harper — who has agreed to be named publicly — filed a civil suit against Howard in July alleging assault and battery, false imprisonment and intentional infliction of emotional misery.
Harper to begin with reported the alleged assault to police in Gwinnett County, Georgia, in July of 2022, however by no means gave a proper interview to the police, who in the end suspended the case. As a consequence, there are recently no felony fees filed in opposition to Howard.
According to the lawsuit, Harper says he met Howard on Instagram and agreed to satisfy at Howard’s house for a sexual stumble upon. While touring there, Harper says Howard requested if any other guy or lady may sign up for, which Harper declined. However, upon arrival, any other guy, known best as “Kitty” used to be there. Howard and “Kitty” allegedly then pressured Harper to take part in sexual process.
Per the lawsuit, “Mr. Harper was trapped in Defendant’s bedroom and believed that he would suffer imminent bodily harm if he resisted Defendant’s sexual advances. Mr. Harper felt extremely violated and humiliated, and was in complete shock.”
A reaction filed by way of Howard’s legal professional in October said that the 3 males all agreed to “engage in consensual sexual activity.” Howard is looking for a abstract judgement — a judgement entered by way of a court docket and not using a complete trial — and for court docket prices and legal professional charges to be paid by way of Harper.
One of Howard’s attorneys supplied an additional statement to ESPN on Oct. 25:
“What was a private consensual encounter was made public for profit and Mr. Howard looks forward to bringing the truth to light in a court of law. The allegations against Mr. Howard are contested. Mr. Howard intends to present the truth. The truth is Mr. Howard blocked Mr. Harper on social media and then was confronted with two options — pay to protect his reputation or have a fabricated story made public. Despite being an easy target due to the subject matter and his status as a celebrity, Mr. Howard chose to trust in the justice system and will rely on all future court filings to speak for themselves.”
Howard addressed the accusations in an Instagram Live on Oct. 26:
“Stop worrying about it. I ain’t gotta deny it, I don’t gotta talk about none of that crap. This s— didn’t even happen. You worried about the wrong stuff. That’s why it’s called an accusation. Allegedly. Come on, man.”
Howard maximum not too long ago performed in Taiwan. The eight-time NBA All-Star used to be drafted by way of the Magic in 2004 and performed for seven other organizations over 18 seasons. He used to be a part of the Lakers’ 2019-20 championship squad and he final performed within the NBA in 2022 all through a 3rd stint with the Lakers.