Georgia man who accused NBA star Dwight Howard of sexual assault drops suit

LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. (AP) — A Georgia man dropped his lawsuit accusing former NBA star Dwight Howard of sexual assault after attorneys for Howard alleged the man deleted text messages showing their encounter was consensual. Stephen Harper dismissed the case in a filing in Gwinnett County court on Tuesday. The dismissal was with prejudice, meaning he cannot refile the lawsuit. The filing did not provide any explanation for the dismissal. Harper’s attorneys, Olga Izmaylova and Sadeer Sabbak, did not immediately return phone and email messages on Thursday. Justin Bailey, an attorney for Howard, said his client did not pay Harper or reach any other type of settlement with him.