A Georgia judge denied a movement by attorneys for previous NBA star center Dwight Howard to quickly reject a respectful claim against him that charges sexual attack and battery.
The Gwinnett District judge made the administering this week, concurring to a recording gotten by ESPN, whereas too administering to seal an show recorded in December 2023 that contains what Howard’s attorneys contended were humiliating, sexually express content messages.
The claim was recorded in July 2023 by Stephen Harper, who charges that Howard sexually attacked him amid a July 2021 experience at Howard’s Georgia home, together with “purposefulness punishment of passionate trouble” and untrue detainment.
“My comment, at this time, is that we are happy the court denied Mr. Howard’s movement and see forward to demonstrating our client’s case,” Harper’s lawyer, Olga Izmaylova, told ESPN on Thursday.
The case is still within the revelation stage, and no trial has been planned.
“Equity will win and we completely believe in our justice framework and the method,” Justin Bailey, one of Howard’s lawyers, told ESPN. “This order could be a portion of the method. We are going lock in in revelation and will advance demonstrate our case and when the time is right we’ll let our future pleadings talk for themselves.”
Howard’s lawyers have on different events charged that the experience, which was said to include another man, was consensual. In October 2023, Howard’s legal counselors denied the charges and inquired the court to dismiss the case. They went advance in December 2023, inquiring the judge for a outline judgment in their favor — and in this way rejecting the charges without a trial.
Within the beginning complaint, Harper’s lawyers said he and Howard to begin with started comparing over coordinate messages on Instagram in May 2021, with Harper starting the trade. That complaint included screenshots of affirmed Instagram trades between Harper and Howard from 2021, in conjunction with an Uber receipt of Harper’s trip to Howard’s home on the night of the experience.
Harper went to police a year later, agreeing to a July 2022 occurrence report from the Gwinnett Province Police Office, which was gotten by ESPN. No charges were recorded.
Typically nothing more than a classic case of lonely adore,” Howard’s attorneys composed in a December 2023 recording gotten by ESPN. “After one consensual evening together, Mr. Howard was now not curious about keeping Mr. Harper’s company.”
In a January 2024 reaction gotten by ESPN, Harper’s attorneys inquired the judge to deny the ask for a outline judgment, composing that the case has “nothing to do with solitary cherish.” They inquired the judge to see past Howard’s endeavors “to elude the results of his activities” and permit Harper to demonstrate his claims to a jury.
On Feb. 15, concurring to a recording gotten by ESPN, Howard’s lawyers reacted, composing that “this claim is merely being utilized to delight private show disdain toward and advance open embarrassment.”
Howard, 38, final played within the NBA in 2021-22 with the Los Angeles Lakers. He is an eight-time All-Star and a three-time NBA Protective Player of the Year.
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