What you need to know
Clayton Echard is making new claims against Laura Owens, the woman who falsely accused him of fathering her unborn twins after a one-night stand.
The former Bachelor star, 32, opened up about his past with Owens in a new interview with Inside Edition and insisted that Owens was not his first victim.
Echard recalled approaching Owens about purchasing a home he was selling at the time. “I shouldn’t have crossed any professional boundaries,” Echard told Inside Edition’s Jim Mollett in a roundtable discussion that aired on Thursday, Oct. 30, adding that he told Owens, “‘Last night was a mistake.'” ”
Ms. Echard claimed that she and Ms. Owens did not actually have sex. “I’m dealing with the craziest person I’ve ever met in my life,” he said. “She was just taking drugs to look fat and wasn’t pregnant at all.”
Amid her legal battle with Owens, Echard said she was contacted by two men who claimed she had made similar allegations against them.
“She’s probably still looking for her next victim,” he added.
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A paternity lawsuit filed by Owens against Echard in 2023 alleged that Owens fathered her unborn twins after a one-night stand. He denied the allegations at a subsequent trial, claiming that Owens “fabricated a pregnancy that could not have resulted from any interaction between the parties because (according to Echard) they never had sexual intercourse,” according to court documents obtained by PEOPLE at the time.
In June 2024, Arizona Judge Julie Ann Mata ruled that Owens “intentionally made false claims,” according to court documents. A subsequent paternity test revealed that “virtually no fetal DNA was present,” and Echard was granted a non-parentage claim and attorney’s fees.
Following the lawsuit, the Maricopa County, Arizona, Attorney’s Office investigated Owens’ claims and announced in a press release in May that she had been charged with seven felonies. Owens has pleaded not guilty.
According to the release, Owens “made several contradictory statements during the paternity hearing” involving Echard, but an investigation found that “between May 2023 and June 2024, Owens falsified ultrasound images, fabricated pregnancy videos, and lied under oath multiple times.”
She was indicted by a grand jury on four counts of perjury, one count of forgery, one count of tampering with physical evidence, and one count of scheme and scheme to defraud.
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Echard previously spoke to PEOPLE about the lawsuit and said she wants her to be held accountable. “At the end of the day, I don’t want her to ever do something like that to anyone else again…I don’t think she’s showing any signs of quitting,” he said.
“We felt that especially when someone commits a crime, they need to face legal responsibility for their actions,” he told PEOPLE in June 2024. “There were many times I wanted to stop fighting and give up because it just takes up so much energy. But I stuck with it and I learned to really fight for myself. I mean, no one will fight for you like you do. So I really just learned the power of standing up for yourself.” Trust that you are your own biggest advocate. ”
