Former NBA star Dwight Howard denies sexual assault accusations. What do we know about the case?
The former NBA star doesn’t appear to be in any trouble as yet, however, it has to be said that the accusations against him are both disturbing and serious.
An NBA champion and 8-time NBA All-Star, the former Lakers star has strongly denied accusations of sexual assault that have been made against him in recent days. The question now is what comes next?
Dwight Howard facing sexual assault charges
According to reports this week former NBA player Dwight Howard has responded to accusations of sexual assault. If you missed previous reports, a man named Stephen Harper - he agreed to be named publicly - filed a civil suit against Howard in July which alleges assault and battery, false imprisonment, and intentional infliction of emotional distress. It is understood that Harper initially reported the alleged incident to police in Gwinnett County, Georgia - the location where it allegedly occurred - in July of 2022, however, he declined to give a formal interview to the police, who eventually suspended the case. To that end, there are currently no criminal charges filed against Howard who has vehemently denied any involvement.
What do we know about the lawsuit against Dwight Howard?
As per the lawsuit, Harper claims that he met Howard on Instagram and agreed to meet at Howard’s home for a sexual encounter. Further to that, Harper states that while traveling to Howard’s residence, the NBA star asked him if another man or woman could join them to which Harper said no. Yet, upon arrival at Howard’s home, Harper found that another man who was identified as “Kitty” was in fact present. According to his statement, Harper indicates he was then forced by both Howard and “Kitty” to participate in a sexual encounter.
Per the lawsuit, “Mr. Harper was trapped in Defendant’s bedroom and believed that he would suffer imminent bodily harm if he resisted Defendant’s sexual advances. Mr. Harper felt extremely violated and humiliated, and was in complete shock.”
How has Dwight Howard responded?
In direct response to the lawsuit, Howard’s lawyer stated earlier this month that the three men all agreed to “engage in consensual sexual activity.” It is understood that Howard is asking for a summary judgment i.e., a judgment entered by a court without a full trial. The 37-year-old is also asking for court costs and attorney fees to be paid by Harper. Entered on October 25th, the statement from Howard’s legal representative reads as follows:
“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. The allegations against Mr. Howard are contested. Mr. Howard intends to present the truth. The truth is Mr. Howard blocked Mr. Harper on social media and then was confronted with two options - pay to protect his reputation or have a fabricated story made public. 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.”
Interestingly, Howard himself addressed the accusations in an Instagram Live post on October 26th: “Stop worrying about it. I ain’t gotta deny it, I don’t gotta talk about none of that crap. This s--- didn’t even happen. You worried about the wrong stuff. That’s why it’s called an accusation. Allegedly. Come on, man.” At this point, it remains to be seen what comes next for Howard who most recently played in Taiwan, however, it would be reasonable to assume that this is just getting started.