https://x.com/Baxter/status/1826392608597569780
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A civil lawsuit against former NBA star Dwight Howard alleging sexual assault
and battery has been dismissed, according to a court filing obtained by ESPN.
The dismissal came Monday in Gwinnett County Court in Georgia and was filed
by Stephen Harper, who initially filed the lawsuit against Howard in July
2023.
In Monday's filing, Harper dismissed all the claims he had asserted against
Howard with prejudice, meaning he cannot refile a lawsuit on those claims.
Justin Bailey, one of Howard's attorneys, told ESPN that no money was paid to
Harper in exchange for him dropping the suit against Howard.
Harper's attorneys didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
根据ESPN得到的文件表示，一项针对前NBA球星Dwight Howard的性侵与袭击的诉讼已经被
撤销。
根据ESPN获得的法庭文件显示，这宗案件在乔治亚州Gwinnett县法院于周一被驳回，并由
原告Stephen Harper提出撤回。
在周一的文件中，Harper撤回了对Howard提出的所有指控，并且这些指控已经被驳回，意
味着Harper不能就这些指控再次提出诉讼。
Harper的律师尚未回应评论请求。
The lawsuit stemmed from a July 2021 encounter at Howard's Georgia residence,
where Harper accused Howard of sexually assaulting him. Harper's July 2023
complaint also accused Howard of "intentional infliction of emotional
distress" and false imprisonment.
Howard denied those allegations and said in an October filing that he and
Harper engaged in "consensual sexual activity."
Howard subsequently argued in a December filing that the accusations against
him were baseless and asked the court to immediately rule in his favor and
dismiss the lawsuit without a trial. A judge denied that request in February.
这宗诉讼源于2021年7月Howard位于乔治亚州的住所发生的事件。Harper指控Howard性侵他
。Harper于2023年7月提出的诉状还指控Howard"故意造成情感伤害"和虚假拘禁。
Howard否认这些指控，并在10月的文件中表示，他和Harper进行的是"合意的性行为"。
Howard随后在12月的文件中辩称，对他的指控毫无根据，并要求法院立即做出有利于他的
裁决，并在没有审判的情况下驳回诉讼。法官在2月拒绝了这一要求。
In the original complaint, Harper's lawyers said he and Howard first began
corresponding over direct messages on Instagram in May 2021, with Harper
initiating the exchange. Harper's complaint showed screenshots of the alleged
Instagram exchanges between Harper and Howard, along with an Uber receipt for
Harper's trip to Howard's residence on the night of the encounter.
Harper went to police a year later, according to a July 2022 incident report
from the Gwinnett County Police Department, which was obtained by ESPN. No
charges were filed.
"This is nothing more than a classic case of unrequited love," Howard's
lawyers wrote in the December filing obtained by ESPN. "After one consensual
evening together, Mr. Howard was no longer interested in keeping Mr. Harper's
company."
根据原始诉状，Harper的律师表示，他和Howard于2021年5月开始在Instagram上进行直接
讯息交流，并由Harper发起了这次交流。Harper的诉状展示了他和Howard之间的Instagram
聊天截图，以及Harper在当晚前往Howard住所的Uber收据。
Harper在一年后报警，根据ESPN获得的2022年7月Gwinnett县警察局事件报告，并未提出指
控。
Howard的律师在12月的文件中写道:"这不过是一个典型的单恋案例。Howard在一晚自愿共
度时光后，对Harper不再感兴趣。"
Harper's lawyers wrote in a January response that the suit had "nothing to do
with unrequited love" and asked the judge to see past Howard's efforts "to
escape the consequences of his actions" and allow Harper to prove his claims
to a jury.
Howard, 38, last played in the NBA in 2021-22 with the Los Angeles Lakers. He
is an eight-time All-Star and a three-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year.
Harper的律师在1月的回应中写道，该诉讼"与单恋无关"，并要求法官看穿Howard"逃避自
己行为后果"的努力，让Harper能够向陪审团证明他的指控。
Howard，38岁，最后一次在NBA打球是2021-22赛季与洛杉矶湖人队一同打球。他是一名八
次全明星球员和三次NBA最佳防守球员。