Man who claimed he was sexually assaulted by former NBA star Dwight Howard drops lawsuit

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A civil lawsuit against former NBA star Dwight Howard alleging sexual assault and battery was dismissed on Monday, according to ESPN. The dismissal was filed in Gwinnett County Court in Georgia.

The lawsuit was originally filed by Georgia man Stephen Harper in July 2023. Harper dismissed all the claims he had asserted against Howard with prejudice, meaning he cannot refile a lawsuit on those claims. 

The incident occurred in July 2021 at Howard's home in Georgia and Harper's July 2023 complaint also accused Howard of "intentional infliction of emotional distress" and false imprisonment.

When Howard denied the allegations in an October filing, the eight-tie NBA All-Star claimed that he and Harper engaged in "consensual sexual activity." Howard's attorney also told ESPN that the alleged incident was "consensual" and only made public after a demand for payment. 

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Center Dwight Howard #12 of the Taoyuan Leopard reacts at the courtduring the T1 League game between TaiwanBeer HeroBears and Taoyuan Leopards at University of Taipei Tianmu Gymnasium on February 19, 2023 in Taipei, Taiwan.  (Gene Wang/Getty Images)

​​"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," Justin Bailey told ESPN. "The allegations against Mr. Howard are contested. Mr. Howard intends to present the truth."

Harper’s attorney Olga Izmaylova previously gave a statement to Fox News Digital in October on the case.

"We had some independent