LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. — A Georgia man dropped his lawsuit accusing former NBA star Dwight Howard of sexual assault after attorneys for Howard alleged the man deleted text messages showing their encounter was consensual.
Stephen Harper dismissed the case in a filing in Gwinnett County court on Tuesday. The dismissal was with prejudice, meaning he cannot refile the lawsuit.
The filing did not provide any explanation for the dismissal. Harper’s attorneys, Olga Izmaylova and Sadeer Sabbak, did not immediately return phone and email messages on Thursday.
Justin Bailey, an attorney for Howard, said his client did not pay Harper or reach any other type of settlement with him. He said Howard did not want to comment on the dismissal.
Bailey referred to court documents he filed in July accusing Harper of deleting text messages and presenting a false record of his conversations with Howard about the 2021 sexual encounter at Howard’s Georgia home. Howard’s attorneys said the missing messages showed that Harper consented to the encounter and planned to “expose” Howard after Howard stopped responding to his advances.
The filing sought sanctions against Harper and his attorneys, including payment of Howard’s attorney costs.
Gwinnett County police have said Harper filed a police report nearly a year after the encounter, but then did not meet with a detective despite repeated attempts to schedule an interview.
Last season, the Houston Rockets shocked NBA observers by winning 41 games and nearly earning a spot in the postseason.The solid performance came after three co
Throughout the course of the NBA offseason, the Cleveland Cavaliers and Los Angeles Lakers have been linked to each other in quite a few different trade rumors.
The Golden State Warriors aren't the championship-winning team they were just two years ago in the 2022 NBA season. However, one anonymous NBA coach went as far
September is halfway over the October marks the return of NBA basketball. Minicamps are being held, media days will take place later this month and players will