Dwight Howard Accused of Sexual Assault in Lawsuit

Former NBA star Dwight Howard has been hit with a lawsuit that accuses him of sexual assault. According to RadarOnline.com, a man named Stephen Harper has filed a lawsuit against Howard claiming assault and battery. Harper reached out to Howard on Instagram on May 29, 2021, via his secondary Instagram account. He claimed to have sent his cell phone number, and Howard responded to his Instagram message by texting him the devil emoji. The two continued texting, and Howard allegedly asked Harper who he was messaging. Harper responded by "providing his name and sending [Howard] his main Instagram account information."

"After viewing Mr. Harper's Primary Account, [Howard] indicated that [Howard] was waiting on [Mr. Harper] to send pics," the court documents read. Harper claimed that Howard was "into freaky" sexual content and wanted to see nude photos of him. Howard allegedly told Harper, that he's not gay but is "a lil nasty sometimes."

Harper and Howard continued to talk, which led to them talking about meeting up in the summer. They exchanged messages from May 2021 to July 2021, and the conversations included "sexually explicit content." On July 19, 2021, Howard allegedly contacted Harper and asked him to come over to his home in Georgia. Howard took an Uber to Howard's home, and that's when However allegedly texted him and asked if he wanted to have a threesome with a "girl" or a "dude." Harper did not wish to have a threesome but still arrived at Howard's home.

The court documents went on to say that Harper and Howard went to the bedroom where they removed their clothes and "engaged in consensual kissing." The two then talked for about 40 minutes, and Harper noticed that Howard was texting someone on his phone. Minutes later, a man arrived dressed a woman named "Kitty" showed up at the home. Howard allegedly wanted Harper to have a threesome with Kitty, and while Harper wanted, to leave Howard convinced him to stay. 

As Howard and Kitty allegedly had oral sex, Howard was touching Harper. And while Harper said no, Howard allegedly told him, he was "going to do whatever" and he was "going to like it." The lawsuit also says, Howard "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. Mr. Harper was in fear of imminent bodily harm when he was pinned down and forced to remain in place while Defendant continued to sexually assault him."

When Howard and Kitty were finished, Harper put on his clothes and called an Uber. However, Harper said that Howard demanded that Kitty drive him home. Harper is accusing Howard of assault, battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and false imprisonment.

Howard, 37, played for multiple teams in the NBA from 2004-2022. In his career, Howard was selected to the All-Star game eight times won Defensive Player of the Year three times and won an NBA Championship when he was with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2020. In November, Howard signed a contract with the Tayouan Leopards of the T1 League in Taiwan. 

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, you can contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.