Getty Image / Santiago Felipe
Dwight Howard has asked a Georgia court to dismiss a lawsuit brought by a man who claims that Howard assaulted him during a sexual encounter in July 2021.
The lawsuit, filed by a man named Stephen Harper, also claims that Howard intentionally inflicted emotional distress on him.
“Former NBA star Dwight Howard has argued that allegations of sexual assault and battery against him are baseless and that a Georgia court should immediately rule in his favor and dismiss the charges without a trial.
A Gwinnett County court in Georgia has yet to make a decision regarding the petition, but, in a Thursday filing that was obtained by ESPN, Howard’s attorneys again claim that Howard and a man named Stephen Harper engaged in a consensual encounter involving a third person at Howard’s Georgia residence in July 2021.
Harper filed a lawsuit in July with his lawyers accusing Howard of sexually assaulting him during the encounter, along with “intentional infliction of emotional distress” and false imprisonment.
In October, Howard denied the allegations and asked the court to dismiss the case,”
Howard’s legal team also alleges that Harper tried to blackmail Howard about his personal life, threatening telling Howard’s family about his personal life if Howard did not pay Harper.
We’re not going to read into Howard’s personal life here, and it’s not our place. There are a lot of unsubstantiated rumors surrounding his personal life throughout the years, and it should be up Dwight Howard to decide how much of it he would like to share with us.
Howard, an eight-time All-Star and five-time All-NBA selection, last played with the Lakers in the 2021-2022 season. He most recently played in Taiwan during the 2022-2023 season.