Dwight Howard has decided to dismiss his lawsuit against an alleged former male lover ahead of an impending trial accusing him of sexual assault against another man.
The NBA star decided to quietly dismiss his countersuit against Masin Elije, 28, who sued Howard in 2019 for “assault” and “intentional infliction of emotional distress,” Radar Online reports. Elije claims to have engaged in a hot and heavy romance with Howard, but the professional athlete denies the claims.
According to Elije’s lawsuit filed in Gwinnett County Superior Court, Howard allegedly dispatched thugs to harass and intimidate him into signing a non-disclosure agreement to force him into silence about their secret relationship. Elije also names Howard’s pal Kitty as someone who allegedly threatened him in 2018 after he started speaking out about Howard’s sexual activities.
Elije’s claims were dismissed
in 2023, with Howard getting a pass to move forward with his counterclaims of libel, slander, and invasion of privacy. However, Howard has changed his tune and has decided to dismiss his countersuit after a man named Stephen Harper sued the NBA alum for assault, battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and false imprisonment over an alleged forced threesome in 2021 that involved Howard’s friend Kitty.Fans were shocked when Howard admitted to the threesome and claimed it was consensual and not sexual assault. Harper claims the same Kitty told him, “Someone will put a bullet in his head” if he opened his mouth about the alleged threesome, according to court documents.
With Howard dismissing his countersuit against Elije, Howard’s lawyers say there is no relation to the ongoing case with Harper.
“Yes, Mr. Howard’s attorneys filed a dismissal with the court, so that case is now closed,” Elije’s lawyers Olga Izmaylova and Sadeer Sabbak said in a statement.
“I don’t want to speculate on what Mr. Howard is thinking but I will say that his claims in the [Elije] matter and his defenses in the Harper matter are inconsistent with one another.”
Gwinnett County’s Chief Judge Carla E. Brown rejected Howard’s request to toss out Harper’s claim, stating that an “affidavit and other evidence raising triable issues of material fact” had been provided. Harper claims to have met Howard on Instagram and spent months engaging in X-rated conversations before meeting up in July 2021 where after kissing, Harper claims Howard left the room and returned with Kitty to engage in a threesome Harper was not in agreeance with.
Harper accuses Howard of forcibly performing a sexual act on him without consent. Howard denies the claims and says the tryst was consensual, and Harper only filed the complaint after the ball player cut off communication with him.
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