by Jeroslyn JoVonn
March 4, 2024
The NBA star quietly dismissed his countersuit against 28-year-old Masin Elije, who sued Howard for “assault” in 2019.
Dwight Howard has decided to dismiss his lawsuit against an alleged former male lover ahead of a trial in which he is accused of sexually assaulting another man.
The NBA star decided to quietly dismiss his countersuit against 28-year-old Masin Elije, who sued Howard in 2019 for “assault” and “intentional infliction of emotional distress,” Radar Online reports. Elije claims to have had a hot and heavy romance with Howard, but the professional athlete denies these claims.
According to Elije's lawsuit filed in Gwinnett County Superior Court, Howard allegedly sent thugs to harass and intimidate him into signing a nondisclosure agreement to force him to remain silent about their secret relationship. Elije also names Howard's girlfriend Kitty as someone who allegedly threatened him in 2018 after he began speaking out about Howard's sexual activities.
Elije's claims were dismissed in 2023, and Howard was granted permission to advance his counterclaims for libel, slander and invasion of privacy. However, Howard changed his mind and 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 involving Howard's girlfriend Kitty was involved.
Fans were shocked when Howard admitted to the threesome and claimed it was consensual and not sexual assault. Harper claims that Kitty told him, “Someone is going to put a bullet in his head” if he opened his mouth about the alleged threesome, according to court documents.
Since Howard dismissed his countersuit against Elije, Howard's lawyers say there is no connection to the ongoing case with Harper.
“Yes, Mr. Howard’s lawyers have filed a dismissal with the court, so the case is now closed,” Elije’s lawyers Olga Izmaylova and Sadeer Sabbak said in a statement.
“I don't want to speculate about what Mr. Howard thinks, but I will say that his claims in the [Elije] The issue and his defense in the Harper matter are at odds with each other.”
Gwinnett County Chief Judge Carla E. Brown denied Howard's request to dismiss Harper's lawsuit on the grounds that an “affidavit and other evidence raising judicial questions of material fact” had been presented. Harper claims to have met Howard on Instagram and spent months having adult conversations before meeting in July 2021, where after the kiss, Harper claimed Howard left the room and returned with Kitty for a threesome make that Harper didn't agree with.
Harper accuses Howard of performing a sexual act on him without consent. Howard denies the claims, saying the rendezvous was consensual and that Harper filed the complaint only after the ballplayer stopped communicating with him.
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