The sexual assault and battery civil lawsuit filed towards former NBA MVP candidate Dwight Howard has been dismissed, in accordance with ESPN.
Stephen Harper filed the lawsuit in July 2023 earlier than dismissing the case with prejudice Monday in Gwinnett County Courtroom (Ga.), that means he can’t once more sue Howard on these allegations, per the report.
Justin Bailey, one in all Howard’s legal professionals, instructed the outlet they didn’t pay Harper to drop the lawsuit.
Harper’s blockbuster civil lawsuit alleged Howard dedicated sexual assault and battery throughout a July 2021 assembly at Howard’s Georgia residence.
Howard denied injuring Harper, together with saying he didn’t trigger any “intentional infliction of emotional misery” or “false imprisonment,” throughout what he described within the courtroom paperwork as a “consensual sexual exercise.” He requested the courts to dismiss the allegations.
Harper met with the Gwinnett County Police Division in July 2022 however didn’t file any expenses, per ESPN.
“What was a personal consensual encounter was made public for revenue and Mr. Howard appears to be like ahead to bringing the reality to mild in a courtroom of legislation,” Bailey instructed ESPN final October. “The allegations towards Mr. Howard are contested. Mr. Howard intends to current the reality….
“Regardless of being a simple goal as a result of material and his standing as a star, Mr. Howard selected to belief within the justice system and can depend on all future courtroom filings to talk for themselves.”
Howard’s camp additional alleged that Harper had excluded vital textual content messages in his submitting and altered others in a submitting this previous December, however a choose denied that request in February, per ESPN.
“In brief, the totality of the textual content messages between Mr. Howard and Mr. Harper make it abundantly clear that Mr. Harper’s claims are frivolous, that he was a keen participant within the occasions of July 19, 2021 and the early morning hours of July 20, 2021, and that the touching of his particular person had been invited by him,” Howard’s attorneys wrote, in accordance with the outlet.
They added: “That is nothing greater than a basic case of unrequited love. After one consensual night collectively, Mr. Howard was not interested by preserving Mr. Harper’s firm.”
Harper’s camp later countered in January that the lawsuit had “nothing to do with unrequited love” and implored the choose to not let Howard “to flee the implications of his actions.”
Howard performed within the NBA for 18 seasons from 2004-22, ending his profession with the Lakers.
He gained three consecutive Defensive Participant of the 12 months Awards from 2009-11 and made eight straight All-Star groups from 2007-14.
Howard completed within the prime seven in MVP voting whereas incomes All-NBA First Workforce honors from the 2008-12 seasons whereas he starred for the Magic.
He introduced on Instagram in Could he had joined the Taiwan Mustangs as a participant/proprietor.
