'Bachelor's Clayton Echard Hit With Paternity Lawsuit
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Former Bachelor lead Clayton Echard has been asked to take a paternity test after a woman alleged that she was pregnant with twins after they had sex earlier this year.
A 33-year-old podcast host from Scottsdale, Arizona, who decided to stay anonymous, filed a lawsuit against Echard on Aug. 1, according to court documents obtained by The Sun. She requested Echard take a paternity test, also wanting to set up a parenting plan if he is the father.
The woman claimed that she became pregnant after having "sexual activity" with Echard on May 20, adding that she "hadn't been with anyone since March of 2022" before that. She also said that the twins are due in February 2024.
The documents included claims from the woman that she "offered more than 50 times in writing" for Echard to take a paternity test, stating that, at one point, they had an appointment scheduled and she paid a $725 deposit, but it was canceled due to his "unwillingness to participate."
On his side, Echard argued in the docs that it was the woman who "refused a paternity test," while also saying that he believes she's "faking."
In a statement to The Sun, the 30-year-old said, "My response is in the court documents. I'm not giving it the time of day because it's baseless. We did not have sexual intercourse."
After the initial lawsuit, the woman filed a Motion for Contempt, also obtained by The Sun. In the documents, she refuted Echard's story, claiming that on June 17, Echard purchased a pregnancy test and asked her to take it. She did, and it allegedly came out positive, with the motion stating that "Clayton’s behavior since [the pregnancy test] has been cold and heartless."
The podcaster also shared alleged messages sent to her from the former Bachelor star. One such message allegedly said, "If it ends up being my child, I have decided that either you'll take 100% custody of the child, or it will be put up for adoption. I will not be raising it in any capacity."
Echard confirmed that he has a paternity test scheduled for Sept. 26, while both the woman and Echard are set to be back in court on Sept. 28 for an early resolution conference.
