Dwight Howard – Source: Gene Wang / Getty
Via his lawyer, Dwight Howard admitted to meeting a man who’s now accusing him of sexual assault to hook up, but he claims their encounter was completely consensual.
In July, NBA Legend Dwight Howard was sued and accused of sexual battery and assault. His accuser alleged this all started from a DM he sent Howard that led to a series of frisky texts and then a late-night meet-up. Allegedly things went south between the two when the man arrived at Howard’s Georgia home and was greeted not only by Howard but later, by a man dressed as a woman.
As previously reported the man identified as Stephen Harper claimed that Dwight forced him into a threesome with the other man whom Howard called “Kitty.”
“Defendant stood up (towering over Mr. Harper), grabbed Mr. Harper by the thighs, forcibly removed Mr. Harper’s underwear, held Mr. Harper down, and performed nonconsensual oral sex on Mr. Harper,” the suit read per Radar Online. “Mr. Harper was in fear of imminent bodily harm when he was pinned down and forced to remain in place while Defendant continued to sexually assault him.”
Now according to an update from Radar, Howard has responded to the lawsuit and admitted via his attorney to sharing sexually explicit images with the man in the summer of 2021. Furthermore, he admitted that they did meet at his Georgia residence on July 19, 2021, where they engaged in unclothed “consensual kissing.”
Radar reports that Howard maintains everything was consensual between all three parties. In fact, he alleges the victim was aware that the other man would be involved in their hook-up.
“Plaintiff was aware that (they) would also be arriving at the home prior to Plaintiff even arriving at Defendant’s home.”
The athlete’s lawyer has released a statement claiming that the entire thing is an extortion attempt.
“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,” said attorney Justin Bailey in a statement to Radar.
“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.”
The basketball star’s attorney says he wants the lawsuit dismissed in court.
