A former NBA star is denying allegations that he sexually assaulted a man at his Georgia home, instead asserting that the encounter was consensual, ESPN reports.
In court documents filed this week, a lawyer for Dwight Howard asked a judge to dismiss a July lawsuit brought against the basketball player, who is presently on the team of a Taiwanese professional league.
“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 attorney, Justin Bailey, told ESPN. “The allegations against Mr. Howard are contested. Mr. Howard intends to present the truth.”
Bailey added: “The truth is Mr. Howard blocked (the alleged victim) 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.”
A man named Stephen Harper filed a lawsuit in July against Howard accusing him of assault, battery and false imprisonment, in addition to intentional infliction of emotional distress, according to USA TODAY.
The court documents filed on behalf of Howard state that he and Harper engaged in “consensual sexual activity,” but Howard denied injuring Harper during the July 2021 meeting, ESPN reports. Harper had initiated contact with Howard on Instagram months earlier and the two had allegedly exchanged explicit text messages, according to the Associated Press.
An incident report obtained by ESPN also shows that Harper contacted the Gwinnett County Police Department in July 2022, but that no charges were filed.
Bailey alleged that Harper sought to involve police after he was blocked on social media and his first payment demand was rejected.
Howard played for numerous NBA teams between 2004 and 2022, including the Orlando Magic, Los Angeles Lakers, Atlanta Hawks and Philadelphia 76ers. He is an eight-time NBA All Star and five-time member of the All-NBA First Team, among numerous other accolades.
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[Featured image: U.S. professional basketball player Dwight Howard cheers during a signing ceremony with Taiwan Taoyuan Leopards in Taipei, Taiwan on November 12, 2022. (AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying)]
