Former NBA star Dwight Howard denies sexual assault lawsuit filed by Georgia man

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Dwight Howard, a former NBA star, has refuted allegations of sexual assault brought against him by a Georgia man, Stephen Harper. Harper had filed a civil suit in July, accusing Howard of assault and battery, false imprisonment, and intentional infliction of emotional distress. In a response recently submitted by his attorney, Howard asserted that the encounter in question, which occurred in 2021 at his residence in the Atlanta suburbs, was consensual and called for the dismissal of the case.

According to Harper’s lawsuit, he had initially connected with Howard through Instagram, and they had exchanged explicit text messages before arranging to meet at Howard’s home on July 19, 2021. During his journey to Howard’s residence in Gwinnett County, Harper claimed that Howard had inquired if another individual could join their planned sexual encounter, to which Harper expressed his lack of interest. Upon arriving at Howard’s residence, Harper asserted that they were joined by an individual dressed as a woman, who identified themselves as “Kitty.” Harper alleged that he attempted to resist the advances of both Howard and Kitty but was forced to engage in sexual activity against his will. The lawsuit stated that Harper felt violated, humiliated, and in a state of shock following the incident.

In his response, Howard firmly denied these allegations and contended that all three individuals had willingly engaged in consensual sexual activity. Furthermore, he requested a summary judgment, with the expectation that court costs and attorney fees would be imposed on Harper.

It is important to note that The Big Big News typically refrains from disclosing the identities of individuals who claim to be victims of sexual assault unless they have chosen to publicly reveal their names.

Dwight Howard, 37 years old, enjoyed a remarkable basketball career, earning eight All-Star selections and three Defensive Player of the Year awards. He was widely regarded as one of the NBA’s most dominant centers during his 18-year professional tenure. Howard played for multiple franchises, notably the Orlando Magic, who drafted him as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2004 draft from Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy. He also achieved NBA championship success with the Los Angeles Lakers during the pandemic-affected 2019-20 season, one of his three stints with the team. Throughout his career, Howard led the league in rebounding five times and maintained career averages of 15.7 points and 11.8 rebounds per game.

However, Howard’s career was marked by frequent team changes, with him not spending more than one season with the same franchise during his final six seasons in the league. His last NBA season was in 2021-22, after which he played in Taiwan during the 2022-23 season.

Source: AP NBA

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