Dwight Howard Sexual Assault Lawsuit Dismissed

A civil lawsuit against former NBA star Dwight Howard, alleging sexual assault and battery, has been dismissed by a Georgia court. The dismissal, filed on Monday in Gwinnett County Court, was initiated by Stephen Harper, who had brought the lawsuit against Howard in July 2023. The dismissal was with prejudice, meaning Harper cannot refile the claims. Howard's attorney, Justin Bailey, confirmed that no financial settlement was made to Harper in exchange for dropping the suit. The lawsuit originated from an alleged encounter at Howard's residence in July 2021, where Harper accused Howard of sexual assault, as well as claims of intentional infliction of emotional distress and false imprisonment. Howard has consistently denied the allegations, asserting that the interaction was consensual. In a December filing, he described the accusations as baseless and sought a court ruling to dismiss the case without a trial, a request that was denied in February. Harper's legal team had presented evidence, including screenshots of Instagram messages exchanged between Harper and Howard, and an Uber receipt for Harper's trip to Howard's home on the night of the alleged incident. A year after the encounter, Harper reported the incident to the police, leading to a July 2022 incident report. Howard's lawyers characterized the lawsuit as a case of "unrequited love," while Harper's attorneys argued that the claims were serious and warranted a jury trial to assess the evidence.