A Georgia man has dropped his lawsuit accusing former NBA star Dwight Howard of sexual assault. This comes after the former NBA player’s lawyers accused the man of deleting text messages that proved their encounter was consensual.
Stephen Harper, the man who accused Howard of sexual assault, officially dismissed his case with prejudice in Gwinnett County court earlier this week. The dismissal means Harper cannot refile the lawsuit.
The court filing did not include an explanation for the sudden dismissal. Harper’s legal team, Olga Izmaylova and Sadeer Sabbak, have yet to comment on the situation.
Justin Bailey, representing Howard, made it clear that his client did not pay Harper or enter any form of settlement. Bailey also confirmed that Howard had no intentions of commenting on the case’s closure.
This dismissal comes after Howard’s legal team filed court documents in July, accusing Harper of deleting text messages that would have demonstrated the encounter between the two was consensual. According to Howard’s attorneys, these messages were crucial as they showed Harper had consented to the 2021 encounter at Howard’s Georgia home. The legal team further claimed that Harper planned to “expose” Howard after their communication ceased.
Howard’s attorneys sought sanctions against Harper and his lawyers, including the recovery of Howard’s legal expenses. The Gwinnett County police report reveals that Harper initially filed a complaint nearly a year after the encounter but then failed to cooperate with detectives for a follow-up interview despite multiple attempts to schedule one.
