A legal tussle involving former NBA star Dwight Howard has come to a quiet close as Georgia man Stephen Harper dropped his lawsuit accusing the athlete of sexual assault. The case was dismissed with prejudice in a Gwinnett County court, meaning the option to refile the suit is off the table, as reported by FOX 5 Atlanta.
The abrupt end to proceedings comes without a public explanation from Harper, whose legal representatives, Olga Izmaylova and Sadeer Sabbak, have not returned requests for comment. Justin Bailey, an attorney for Dwight Howard, has been vocal in stating that no form of compensation or settlement was extended to Harper in exchange for the dismissal. According to the Star Tribune, Bailey affirmed Howard's desire to not comment on the case's conclusion.
Before the case was dismissed, Howard's legal team accused Harper of deleting text messages that they claim would have shown the encounter was consensual. Court filings referenced by Bailey alleged that Harper was trying to "expose" Howard after being rejected, as indicated by the missing messages. The FOX 5 Atlanta article noted that Howard's attorneys had sought sanctions against Harper, including covering Howard's attorney fees.
In the background of the legal proceedings were reports that Harper had waited nearly a year after the alleged 2021 incident to file a police report. Officers from Gwinnett County stated that despite repeated efforts, Harper failed to attend an interview with a detective, adding an additional layer of complexity to a case that has since been brought to an inconclusive end.
.jpg){kind=link}