On Thursday, eight-time NBA All-Star Dwight Howard and his legal representation submitted another filing to dismiss a sexual assault lawsuit in Georgia.
The suit was filed by an individual named Stephen Harper in July. Accusations against Howard allege he assaulted Harper during a sexual encounter at the former Orlando Magic superstar’s home in Georgia back in July of 2021.
Harper’s lawsuit reportedly includes a series of screenshots involving conversations between Harper and Howard.
Yet, Howard’s legal team is now questioning the accuracy of the screenshots, suggesting they may have been doctored in an attempt to smear the former Los Angeles Lakers center’s reputation. Specifically, Howard’s team alleges Harper has purposefully omitted certain messages that show his willingness to participate in certain events relating to their time together.
“In short, the totality of the text messages between Mr. Howard and Mr. Harper make it abundantly clear that Mr. Harper’s claims are frivolous, that he was a willing participant in the events of July 19, 2021, and the early morning hours of July 20, 2021, and that the touching of his person had been invited by him,” Howard’s attorneys write in Thursday’s filing, via ESPN.
Statement from Dwight Howard’s legal team
But that’s not all.
Howard’s representation also suggests Harper deleted more messages that even included an attempt to meet up with the former basketball star again.
“More importantly, the explicit messages not only show consent but also that Mr. Harper was initiating some of the sexual contact. Mr. Harper not only invited the initial experience, but tried to initiate a second encounter because the first was so enjoyable. As it is undisputed that Mr. Harper consented to the touching between him and Mr. Howard, Mr. Harper’s claims necessarily fail, and Mr. Howard is entitled to summary judgment as the clear consent negates the essential element of intent and the claims of Assault, Battery, False Imprisonment, and Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress fall like a house of cards.”
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Harper didn’t report the encounter with Howard until a year after the meeting took place, according to a filing from the Gwinnett County Police. At that time, no charges were filed.
Later, Howard’s representatives alleged Harper only initiated legal action once Howard no longer expressed a mutual interest in another face-to-face.
“This is nothing more than a classic case of unrequited love,” Howard’s lawyers wrote. “After one consensual evening together, Mr. Howard was no longer interested in keeping Mr. Harper’s company. When these threats and several demands for money went unfulfilled,” Howard’s lawyers wrote, “Mr. Harper filed the instant lawsuit as revenge and in an attempt to tarnish Mr. Howard’s reputation, ‘get [his] attention,’ and fulfill the threat of telling the whole world about the private, consensual night.”
The No. 1 overall pick in the 2004 NBA Draft, Howard enjoyed 18 seasons in the league, split between seven teams. His last NBA season came in 2021-22, but the former Slam Dunk Contest champion later took his talent to Taiwan to continue his playing career.
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