In a bizarre, breaking story, the NBA’s Dwight Howard is answering questions about alleged sexual assault involving a male victim
Dwight Howard has denied sexual assault and battery allegations filed against him earlier this year while seeking a dismissal in a civil lawsuit regarding the matter brought by a man he met on Instagram.
While Howard, 37, admits that he had a sexual encounter with the man, he says their interaction was completely consensual. However, his accuser has a totally different version of events.
The man’s lawsuit accuses Dwight Howard of assault, battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and false imprisonment.
According to court documents, Dwight Howard said that he took part in “consensual sexual activity” with a man named Stephen Harper in July 2021 at Howard’s Georgia home. From there, the man claims that Howard sexually assaulted him during the encounter. The two men had gotten to know each other through direct messages on Instagram in May 2021.
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Dwight Howard admitted that he and Harper entered his bedroom during their July 2021 visit, removed their clothing, and “engaged in consensual kissing.” Harper alleges in the suit that Howard then surprised him by bringing out a man dressed as a woman who called himself ‘Kitty.’ The basketball player acknowledged in court documents that there was, indeed, a third man present when the sexual activity took place. However, he says that Harper was aware that the other person would be taking part.
“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 lawsuit stated. “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.”
Dwight Howard’s defense team has issued a statement on his behalf, answering that the accuser’s memory of the events is much different, and that the former NBA Champion did nothing illegal.
“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.”
Howard himself took to Instagram to address the rumors circulating, saying, “Whatever I’m doing in my bedroom is my damn business, Whatever you are doing in your bedroom is your damn business.”
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