March 4th 2024.
NBA star Dwight Howard has made a decision to drop his lawsuit against a former male lover in light of an upcoming trial where he is being accused of sexual assault by another man. According to Radar Online, Howard quietly dismissed his countersuit against Masin Elije, who had initially sued him in 2019 for "assault" and "intentional infliction of emotional distress". Elije claimed to have been in a passionate relationship with Howard, but the athlete vehemently denied these allegations.
In his lawsuit filed in Gwinnett County Superior Court, Elije alleged that Howard had sent people to intimidate and harass him into signing a non-disclosure agreement, in order to keep their relationship a secret. Elije also named Howard's friend Kitty as someone who had threatened him after he began speaking out about their sexual activities in 2018.
However, in 2023, Elije's claims were dismissed, allowing Howard to move forward with his own countersuit for libel, slander, and invasion of privacy. But now, Howard has had a change of heart and has decided to drop his countersuit after another man, Stephen Harper, sued him for assault, battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and false imprisonment. Harper alleges that Howard had forced him into a threesome with Kitty in 2021.
Fans were taken aback when Howard admitted to the threesome, but claimed that it was consensual and not sexual assault. Harper, on the other hand, stated that Kitty had threatened him with violence if he ever spoke about the incident. Howard's lawyers have stated that there is no connection between the ongoing case with Harper and the dismissal of Elije's countersuit.
In a statement, Elije's lawyers, Olga Izmaylova and Sadeer Sabbak, confirmed that Howard's attorneys had filed for dismissal of the case, effectively closing it. However, they also expressed confusion over Howard's actions, stating that his claims and defenses in the Elije case were not consistent with his stance in the Harper case. Gwinnett County's Chief Judge Carla E. Brown also rejected Howard's request to dismiss Harper's claim, stating that there was sufficient evidence to suggest that the case should proceed to trial.
Harper's claims include meeting Howard on Instagram and engaging in explicit conversations before eventually meeting in person in July 2021. According to Harper, after some kissing, Howard left the room and returned with Kitty, where they proceeded to engage in a threesome that Harper did not agree to. Howard denied these claims, stating that the encounter was consensual and that Harper had only filed a complaint after he cut off communication with him.
In related news, a Georgia judge has denied Howard's motion to dismiss the sexual assault lawsuit, citing evidence that raises "triable issues of material fact". It remains to be seen how these legal battles will unfold, but one thing is for sure - Dwight Howard's personal life is under intense scrutiny.
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