Originally appeared on E! Online
Clayton Echard is facing a paternity lawsuit.
The "Bachelor" star is being asked to take a paternity test by a 33-year-old podcaster from Scottsdale, Arizona, though he denies they had sexual intercourse, according to court documents obtained by The Sun and Page Six.
The woman, who chose to keep her identity anonymous, filed the lawsuit on Aug. 1, alleging that she is pregnant with twins after engaging in "sexual activity" with Echard on May 20. The twins, the woman said, are due in February 2024.
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The woman said that she "hadn't been with anyone since March of 2022" and that Echard, 30, broke things off the morning after their alleged night together, per the docs obtained by The Sun. She said she sent Echard copies of her pregnancy results, alleging that he didn't believe her and said they only had oral sex.
Her court filing also includes screenshots of alleged texts from the reality star, including the messages, "I don't believe you for a second," "I legitimately hate you right now," "You have lost your mind and I hope YOU think about how terrible this is that you would subject me to this" and "My personal hell would be having to have you be a part of my life," per Page Six.
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She stated in her lawsuit that she "offered more than 50 times in writing" for Echard to take a paternity test. They allegedly scheduled an appointment for Aug. 23, which she said she paid a $725 deposit for, but that she said it was cancelled due to Echard's "unwillingness to participate."
In his Aug. 21 response, which was obtained by The Sun and Page Six, Echard requested a "court-ordered paternity test" that be paid for by the woman. He said the case was "groundless and lacking in merit" because they "never had sexual intercourse," according to the court documents.
Echard also adamantly denied the woman's claims in a statement to The Sun.
"My response is in the court documents," he said, referencing his Aug. 21 petition. "I'm not giving it the time of day because it's baseless. We did not have sexual intercourse."
The test is scheduled for Sept. 26. Echard and the woman will return to court Sept. 28 for an an early resolution conference, according to The Sun.
Echard first appeared on "The Bachelorette" in 2021 for Michelle Young's season. He then went on to star in season 26 of "The Bachelor," which saw Susie Evans turn him down after a messy finale. Evans and Echard rekindled their romance after the show but broke up in September 2022.
E! News has reached out to Echard for comment and has not heard back.
