Dwight Howard denies sexual assault allegations, wants lawsuit dismissed - ESPN

Former NBA star Dwight Howard has denied sexual assault and battery allegations filed against him earlier this year and asked a court to dismiss a civil lawsuit he is facing in Georgia.

In court documents obtained by ESPN, Howard said Monday that he engaged in «consensual sexual activity» with a man named Stephen Harper during a July 2021 encounter at Howard's Georgia residence. Howard denied that he caused any injury to Harper, according to the filing.

In the original complaint filed in July, Harper's lawyers said he and Howard first began corresponding over direct messages on Instagram in May 2021, with Harper initiating the exchange. Harper accused Howard of sexually assaulting him at Howard's home during the subsequent July 2021 encounter.

«We fully anticipated Mr. Howard to raise the issue of consent in his Answer,» Harper's attorney, Olga Izmaylova, told ESPN, adding that Harper did not consent.

Harper's complaint also accused Howard of «intentional infliction of emotional distress» and false imprisonment. Howard's response denied those allegations.

«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,» one of Howard's attorneys, Justin Bailey, told ESPN. «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.»

Harper's