Former NBA player Dwight Howard has denied sexually assaulting another manbut said they had consensual sex, The Advocate reported.
In court documents, Howard said the encounter consisted of "consensual sexual activity" and that he caused no injury to Stephen Harper. He asked for the suit to be dismissed and for Harper to be ordered to pay court costs and attorneys' fees.
Harper has filed a civil suit claiming that Howard and a cross-dressing man identified only as "Kitty" forced him to have sex at Howard's home in the Atlanta suburbs in July 2021. Harper filed the civil suit in July in Georgia, accusing Howard of sexual assault and battery, false imprisonment and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
The 6'10" Howard, 37an eight-time All-Star, five-time All-Defensive Team and three-time Defensive Player of the Year award winnerlast played in the NBA during the 2021-22 season for the Los Angeles Lakers after starting in 2004, according to USA Today. He last played with the Taoyuan Leopards in Taiwan during the 2022-23 season but hasn't ruled out returning to the NBA, per The New York Post.
Andrew Davis