Bachelor star Clayton Echard is at the center of a paternity suit. He denies fathering twins with a former flame. Can he file a counterclaim? Keep reading for all the latest in the paternity drama.
Did Clayton Echard Find Love On The Bachelor?
Clayton Echard was named Season 26’s Bachelor lead before even appearing on television. He was a contestant on Michelle Young’s season of The Bachelorette, but ABC announced him as the Season 26 lead before Young’s season even aired.
So, fans already knew he hadn’t found love with Michelle Young, but did he fare better on his season? After some drama involving Gabby Windey, Rachel Recchia, and Susie Evans, Clayton Echard ended his season alone.
Clayton Echard and Rachel Recchia/Credit: Bachelor Nation YouTube
He had slept with both Windey and Recchia during the Fantasy Suite dates, causing Evans to leave the show. She returned in time for the last final rose ceremony, only to essentially dump him.
However, during the After The Final Rose special, Echard and Evans revealed that they had reconnected after filming and were dating. They broke up again after less than a year together.
Susie Evans has been dating since their split, and it seems that Clayton Echard has had entanglements of his own. Now he’s tangled up in a paternity lawsuit.
Paternity Lawsuit: What You Need To Know
In September 2023, the shocking news broke that a woman was claiming Clayton Echard knocked her up after a one-night stand earlier this year. She anonymously filed a lawsuit to force him to take a paternity test after he allegedly refused to do so.
Gonna tell my kids this was Juan Pablo. #Bachelor #ClaytonEchard pic.twitter.com/qBR6TwcdY1
— taylor schmidt (@taylorrschmidtt) March 9, 2022
He quickly clapped back with a statement to the press, denying the paternity allegations. In a recent development, Echard took to his social media to share ‘proof’ that he did submit to the paternity test.
According to his social media ‘receipts,’ the former Bachelor took a paternity test on Sept. 27, and the woman suing him will take her part of the test on Oct. 2.
So, right now, no one knows if Clayton Echard actually is the father of this woman’s twins or not. If he isn’t, could he sue this woman for damages?
Does Clayton Echard Have The Case To Make A Counterclaim?
Us Weekly took that question right to the source, Neama Rahmani – an attorney who is familiar with the case but not involved in it.
The outlet asked if Clayton Echard has a case for a counterclaim if the paternity test shows he’s not the father. According to Rahmani, that depends.
Echard could sue, as “Anyone can sue for anything.” However, in the lawyer’s opinion, it isn’t a strong case because “really what are your damages?”
Unless the reality star can show that his ex’s paternity lawsuit was “frivolous or malicious,” he doesn’t have a case to countersue, especially if she has a “good faith” reason to think he’s the father.
So far, Clayton Echard has denied having intercourse with the woman, but he admits to other acts of intimacy.
What do you think of this entire situation with Clayton Echard and the paternity suit? Share your thoughts in the comments below, and check back with TV Shows Ace for updates on the legal battle.
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