An apparent bombshell lawsuit accuses NBA All-Star Dwight Howard of the sexual assault, battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress and false imprisonment of another man.
Per reports, the basketball player denies the charges, saying he and the plaintiff, whose name is Stephen Harper, met up on social media and had consensual sex with a third man dressed in women’s clothing, “Kitty.”
Howard said the two started exchanging messages on social media in May 2021 during the pandemic. Harper made the initial outreach on Instagram and eventually shared his cell phone for the two to correspond. According to Harper’s lawsuit, the former Los Angeles Laker told him he was into “freaky” stuff and even asked him to share explicit photographs of his body.
The complaint included the alleged text messages between the two. The first text message submitted opens with Harper saying “sup sexy” before telling him that he’s about to get into the shower.
Howard responded with bugged-out eye emojis to which Harper responded “I gotchu” with a tongue hanging out.
In the second set of text messages, Harper is pushing to link with Howard, but the baller seems cautious, asking him to verify his name and also to send him pictures.
“I was waiting on you to send pics,” he allegedly texted. “I was waiting.”
The third text submitted, which is clearly an edit of their full exchange, has Howard asking for “more” of something (perhaps pictures and movies). Harper answers, “I gotchu papi. Also what are you into? You like freaky s##t?”
“Yeah, I’m into freaky s##t?” he said, adding, “Now, I want you to know I’m not like gay or anything. I’m jus a lil nast sometimes. Ion wanna offend you.”
Harper said he wasn’t offended. At that point, after liking and loving a set of pictures and videos, he sends three drooling emojis and texts, “lemme see [eggplant emoji].”
Another text thread, Harper asks Howard what he is doing and he replies, “Thinking about that meat” and on yet another thread Howard says, “I just wanna see ur [eggplant emoji and bugged-eyes emoji].”
The two allegedly text for three months via text before he actually came to his house on July 19, 2021. Howard insists Harper knew that he was in for a sexual romp with him and a man dressed in women’s clothing. Harper says, he thought it was just going to be the two of them engaging in a night of pleasure.
This discrepancy is at the center of the lawsuit.
Harper says that when he saw Kitty, he immediately was turned off and refused to participate in a threesome. However, Howard ignored Harper’s wishes and forced him to engage in several sex acts, including giving him oral sex against his will. He said he felt threatened because the athlete was so much larger than him— and, at one point, was pinned to the bed.
“Defendant 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,” the complaint read. “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.”
Howard’s version of the story is different. He admitted that the three men went to his bedroom, removed their clothing and “engaged in consensual kissing.”
Howard’s lawyers also said in a counterclaim to the accusations, the “Plaintiff was aware that [Kitty] would also be arriving at the home prior to Plaintiff even arriving at Defendant’s home.”
“The three agreed to touch one another and to engage in consensual sexual activity,” Howard’s lawyer wrote.