Ex-NBA star Dwight Howard denies sexual assault allegation, calls activity 'consensual'
In response to sexual assault and battery allegations raised against him in a civil lawsuit in Georgia, former NBA star Dwight Howard denied the claims and is seeking to have the suit dismissed, according to a report.
ESPN obtained court documents in which Howard, 37, said "consensual sexual activity" took place with a man at Howard's Georgia home in July 2021. Also according to the claim, Howard denied causing any harm to the man.
According to ESPN, the man originally filed the civil complaint in July in which he alleges that he and Howard began corresponding in May 2021 over direct messages on Instagram. The messages, per the filing, led to the alleged encounter in July of that year at which the man claims that Howard sexually assaulted him.
In the July claim, the man also alleges that Howard caused "intentional infliction of emotional distress" and false imprisonment.
"We fully anticipated Mr. Howard to raise the issue of consent in his Answer," the man's attorney, Olga Izmaylova, told ESPN before adding that the client did not consent.
USA TODAY does not reveal the identity of alleged victims of sexual assault.
Howard's legal team responded to the claims, alleging that the man sought payment to keep the interaction private.
"What was a private consensual encounter was made public for profit and Mr. Howard looks forward to bringing the truth to light in a court of law," Justin Bailey told ESPN. "The allegations against Mr. Howard are contested. Mr. Howard intends to present the truth. The truth is Mr. Howard blocked (the alleged victim) on social media and then was confronted with two options — pay to protect his reputation or have a fabricated story made public. Despite being an easy target due to the subject matter and his status as a celebrity, Mr. Howard chose to trust in the justice system and will rely on all future court filings to speak for themselves."
According to ESPN, the man's complaint from July includes screenshots of messages allegedly exchanged between him and Howard over Instagram and a receipt of an Uber trip taken to Howard's home.
ESPN also obtained an incident report from the Gwinnett County Police Department from July 2022 after the man went to police then to report the matter. Per ESPN, no charges were filed.
"This report was made following (the alleged victim) being blocked on social media and after the first demand for payment was rejected," Bailey told ESPN.
Howard — an eight-time All-Star, five-time All-Defensive Team and three-time Defensive Player of the Year award winner — last played in the NBA during the 2021-22 season for the Los Angeles Lakers. He played 18 seasons in the league and averaged 15.7 points per game with 11.8 rebounds per game.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Dwight Howard denies sexual assault claims, says activity 'consensual'
