'It was consensual': Dwight Howard denies sexual assault allegations, seeks dismissal of civil lawsuit
SUWANEE, GEORGIA: Dwight Howard, a former NBA star and Olympic gold medalist, has denied sexually assaulting a man named Harper at his residence in Georgia in 2021.
He has asked a court to dismiss a civil lawsuit filed by Harper in July, claiming that he engaged in “consensual sexual activity” with him, as reported by ESPN.
What does the lawsuit against Dwight Howard stem from?
Harper, according to the documents filed in July 2021, alleged that Howard started chatting with him over Instagram direct messages in 2021.
He then invited him to his house in Suwanee where the alleged assault occurred. Harper reported the incident to the police a year later.
The original complaint included screenshots of alleged Instagram exchanges between. However, reportedly no charges were filed.
The complaint came after Howard blocked him on social media, according to Howard's attorney.
The complaint also included "intentional infliction of emotional distress" and false imprisonment which Howard has denied.
Dwight Howard has chosen to trust in the justice system, attorney says
Howard’s attorneys, Justin Bailey and David Oscar Markus, have accused Harper of attempting to extort money from the basketball star in exchange for his silence.
“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,” Bailey told ESPN.
“The truth is Mr Howard blocked Harper on social media and then was confronted with two options – pay to protect his reputation or have a fabricated story made public," Bailey added.
"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,” Bailey continued.
Dwight Howard is NBA honoree and USA 2008 gold medalist
Howard, who recently played Taoyuan Leopardsan, is an eight-time All-Star, eight-time All-NBA Team honoree, five-time All-Defensive Team member, and three-time Defensive Player of the Year during his nearly two decades in the NBA.
View this post on Instagram
He also won a gold medal with Team USA at the 2008 Olympics.
“We fully anticipated Mr Howard to raise the issue of consent in [Monday’s filing],” Olga Izmaylova, Harper’s attorney, told ESPN. He added, that Harper did not consent.