"Merely about money and greed": Dwight Howard finally breaks silence on s*xual assault allegations by Stephen Harper
Dwight Howard has been involved in a legal battle against Stephen Harper, who claims that the former NBA champion allegedly s*xually assaulted him. According to a lawsuit by Harper, the alleged incident happened at Howard's Atlanta residence on July 19, 2021. Howard denied these allegations recently.
He was yet to address these sexual assault allegations until Saturday (Oct 29). The eight-time All-Star has released a statement about the situation. The statement, obtained by Complex Sports, said that this incident was merely about 'money and greed.'
"This is a civil case that was made public for profit," Howard's statement read. "In this case, the accuser is solely suing Dwight Howard and has refrained from suing the other party in which he claims to be involved. It is important to know that these matters were NEVER about sexual assault.
"This was merely about money and greed. Such individuals, have made continuous attempts to elicit payment from Dwight. This has resulted in intimidation of not only Dwight, his family and friends have also been targeted as well."
Harper claims that Howard allegedly tried to force him to take part in s*xual activities alongside another man named 'Kitty.'
“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 read.
Dwight Howard denied these claims and asked the court to dismiss this lawsuit. According to Radar Online, Howard's lawyer said the three involved parties 'agreed to touch one another and engage in consensual s*xual activitiy.'
Stephen Harper has also publicly addressed his lawsuit against Dwight Howard
Before Dwight Howard released his statement about the lawsuit filed by Stephen Harper, the latter addressed the situation publicly on Instagram. Harper called out the former LA Lakers star, saying he was 'ambushed' by Howard and 'Kitty' at the player's Atlanta residence. Harper then elaborated on the alleged incident, writing:
"Dwight (Howard) never showed me pictures of Kitty nor disclosed their gender. Kitty walked in with a full beard, 2-inch heels and a 28pcs church wig. Immediately, I was thrown off, uncomfortable and expressed that I wanted to leave."
Harper revealed that Howard forced him to be dropped by 'Kitty' instead of an Uber. Harper said he hadn't addressed the situation directly out of 'fear and intimidation.' Harper even claimed that he wasn't Howard's first victim.
Stephen Harper then revealed the photo of 'Kitty,' who will also be the star witness in this case and defend Dwight Howard.
According to Radar Online, in a separate report filed by the Gwinnett County Police Department, Harper wrote a complaint that 'Kitty' had allegedly issued a death threat to him on their way to the former's home.