FormerBachelor Clayton Echard is finally speaking out about his victory in a paternity lawsuit brought by a former hookup who he called a "pest" and a "cockroach" after she claimed the reality star impregnated her, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
Laura Owens, the daughter of well-known San Francisco radio host Ronn Owens, sued Clayton last August in Maricopa County, Arizona, seeking child support for their purported unborn twins. The TV personality from Phoenix, however, denied ever having sexual intercourse with Laura, and accused her of harassment and fabricating medical documents.
Ultimately, last week, the judge agreed with Clayton's counterclaims and called for the county prosecutor to charge Laura with two felonies. On the "Not Ashamed Podcast" Tuesday, the 2022 lead of The Bachelor told host Ashley Nordman that he had become consumed by stress over the case.
Despite the ruling in his favor, he said the ordeal put him "on edge," making it difficult to focus on his real estate business endeavors.
"I'm trying to show up for myself, I'm trying to show up for my team right now, but I'm already at this stress level, where I'm like ... If I could just erase this, I could grow and build faster than what I am," Clayton explained.
"But I got this freakin' pest that just won't go away, and I don't know how she continues to be able to just fly by the seat of her pants and not be held accountable," he continued.
"I feel that she's holding me back, and it's like, how much longer are you going to try to have this hold on me?" the frustrated TV personality went on, saying "it's like she's a cockroach that won't go away. She is, she's this pest."
He also asked "for the other victims to come forward and reach out to me," adding, "strength is in numbers." Clayton's attorneys told The Arizona Republic that Laura had a history of falsely claiming to be pregnant.
"I certainly never wanted this to occur, but I'm glad I was able to get justice for not only me but for the previous victims," Clayton told the newspaper on Friday, "So just to stop this from ever happening again, I think that's the best thing about it all."
In her decision, Judge Julie Mata called the matter "a case of serial fabrications," writing that Laura failed to prove she was ever pregnant, lied during testimony, and falsified evidence.
A sonogram Laura claimed was her own, for example, had been taken from a seven-year-old YouTube video, Mata said.
Laura's petition, according to the judge, was "fraudulent and made to incite communication, a relationship, or both, with [Clayton]." She reportedly planned to appeal the ruling, however, claiming her right to due process was denied.
"We are confident this decision will be overturned on appeal," Laura said in an email.