Eight-time NBA All-Star and former NBA champion Dwight Howard has denied sexual assault-and-battery allegations leveled against him last year, claiming that the encounter was “consensual,” according to court documents obtained by ESPN.
The allegations leveled against Howard by a man named Stephen Harper stem from a July 2021 incident that allegedly took place at the Georgia home of the former Los Angeles Lakers star.
According to the report, Harper accused Howard of sexual assault, false imprisonment and “intentional infliction of emotional distress.”
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An attorney representing Howard told ESPN that the alleged incident was “consensual” and only made public after a demand for payment.
”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,” Justin Bailey told ESPN. “The allegations against Mr. Howard are contested. Mr. Howard intends to present the truth.”
Bailey said that Howard had been contacted after blocking Harper on social media.
“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 denied the allegations, according to the court documents, but Harper’s attorney told Fox News Digital that they “anticipated” that the former NBA star would claim so, adding that his client did not offer consent.
“We had some independent investigation to conduct and Mr. Harper had some private factors to consider before we all felt ready to proceed with the lawsuit,” Olga Izmaylova told the outlet.
“It has come to my attention that Mr. Howard is now attempting to…
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