A civil lawsuit against former NBA player Dwight Howard alleging sexual assault and battery has been dismissed, according to court filings obtained by ESPN.
The dismissal appeared on Monday in the Gwinnett County Court in Georgia and was filed by Stephen Harper, who first filed a lawsuit against Howard in July 2023.
In Monday's episode, Harper dismissed all allegations of discrimination against Howard. Legally, this means that he cannot file a lawsuit on those claims.
Justin Bailey, one of Howard's attorneys, told ESPN's Baxter Holmes that no money was paid to Harper to drop Howard's lawsuit.
Stephen Harper accused Dwight Howard of sexual harassment, false imprisonment, and “intentional infliction of emotional distress”
In the original 2023 complaint, Harper accused Howard of sexual harassment, false imprisonment, and “intentional infliction of emotional distress” stemming from the July 2021 encounter at Howard's residence.
Harper accused Howard of sexually assaulting her at the former NBA player's residence in Georgia. Howard denied those allegations and in an October filing said he and Harper had “consensual sex.”
Howard then contested the December filing and said the charges against him were baseless. He then asked the court to rule in his favor immediately and dismiss the case without a trial.
NEWS: Sexual harassment charge against Dwight Howard dismissed
— Baxter Holmes (@Baxter) August 21, 2024
However, a judge rejected that request in February. In the original complaint, Harper's attorneys said she and Howard began communicating via direct messages on Instagram in May 2021. Harper began exchanging messages, according to court documents.
Harper's complaint showed screenshots of Instagram exchanges between Harper and Howard. Also presented was an Uber receipt for Harper's ride to Howard's residence the night of the meeting.
No charges were filed after Harper contacted the Gwinnett County Police Department in July 2022.
Harper contacted police a year later, according to a July 2022 incident report from the Gwinnett County Police Department. But no charges have been filed, according to Holmes.
Dwight Howard then argued that “the case was made public for profit.”
“This is nothing more than a classic case of unrequited love,” Howard's lawyers wrote in a December filing obtained by ESPN. “After another night of agreement together, Mr. Howard was no longer interested in keeping Mr. Company. Harper.”
Harper's attorneys wrote in a January response that the case “has nothing to do with unrequited love.” They also asked the judge to look beyond Howard's attempts to “escape the consequences of his actions.” His lawyers wanted an opportunity for Harper to prove his claims to a judge.
Howard, who turns 39 in December, last played in the NBA in the 2021-22 season with the Los Angeles Lakers. As a 6-foot-10 center, he earned eight All-Star selections and won three NBA Defensive Player of the Year awards.
In 1,242 regular season NBA games (1,078 starts) over 18 seasons, he averaged 15.7 points, 11.8 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.8 blocks, and 31.8 minutes a contest each while shooting 58.7% from the field and 56.7% from free throws .
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