The Bachelor paternity drama has finally been put to rest – and in a most surprising way.
Last year, Clayton Echard faced a lawsuit from a former fling accusing him of fathering her unborn twins.
Clayton, for his part, denied any possibility that those children could be his and claimed he never even had sex with the woman accusing him.
He did admit there was some sexual activity between them, but none that could lead to pregnancy.
Then, The Bachelor alum took a paternity test and proved as much.
He celebrated on Instagram after it was determined that he was not the father of his accuser’s unborn children.
Clayton Echard’s accuser filed to close paternity case
Clayton Echard’s accuser, who has not been publicly named amid the claims he fathered twins with her, has asked to withdraw the legal action against him.
Details of the recent filing were obtained by The US Sun, which reported that the case has been asked to be dismissed with prejudice, which means that it will be closed permanently.
Back in September, Clayton revealed via Instagram that the paternity test results confirmed that he was not the father of the twin unborn babies as claimed by his former fling.
Now, it has been learned that the woman who brought the paternity suit is no longer pregnant, which is her reasoning for closing the case.
Clayton’s accuser was said to be due at some point in February 2024, but according to court records, “Petitioner acknowledges that she is no longer pregnant with Respondent’s child, meaning there is no paternity to establish.”
The filing continued, “There is nothing left for this Court to adjudicate, and this case should be dismissed.”
Clayton Echard responds to latest filing
“This filing by her was not a surprise to me, as not only is she ‘no longer pregnant,’ but she was never pregnant at any point in time with my children,” Clayton told The US Sun following news of the motion to dismiss.
“My hope is that the judicial system will bring her to justice here soon through exposing the many false accusations that she has made.”
Clayton’s accuser also responded to requests for comment and “firmly stands by everything” she previously claimed.
Around the same time this report came out, Clayton Echard was a guest on The Viall Files podcast and spoke with Nick Viall about the paternity claims that plagued him over the past few months.
He repeated previous claims that he didn’t actually have intercourse with the woman in question despite hooking up with her before a real estate deal and said that he was always sure he was not the father due to that fact.
The Bachelor returns on Monday, January 22 at 8/7c on ABC.