Former The Bachelor Season 26 star Clayton Echard spent three years at the center of a paternity scandal when he was accused of impregnating Laura Owens. The case began with an anonymous court filing in 2023, and it eventually ended with his accuser pleading guilty to multiple felony charges in 2026.
Us breaks down what Echard was accused of, what the former reality star has said about the case and finally seeing it come to a resolution, and more, below.
Inside Clayton Echard Paternity Claims
The lawsuit first became public in September 2023, when court documents obtained by The Sun revealed that a woman — initially unnamed — alleged Echard had fathered her unborn twins after a one-night stand.
The woman, who was later identified as Owens, claimed in a filing submitted on August 1, 2023, that she had “engaged in sexual activity” with Echard on May 20, 2023. She said she “hadn’t been with anyone since March of 2022,” which she argued meant Echard had to be the father. Her twins were due in February 2024.
Echard flatly denied the encounter. “We did not have sexual intercourse,” he told the outlet.
According to Owens’ filing, she took two at-home pregnancy tests before visiting an urgent care facility on June 1, 2023, where she said staff confirmed she was expecting twins. She said she sent a copy of the results to Echard that same month and alleged he initially did not believe her. Owens claimed Echard later asked her to come to his home and take another test so he could verify her claims in person.
She said he messaged her the following day with: “I wanted you to come over to confirm what I was doubting. And you did confirm that. So, I don’t see you as a liar anymore,” according to the court documents.
Clayton Echard Pushed Back on the Twins Allegations
Owens claimed Echard had previously agreed to take a paternity test in August 2023, but backed out after she put down a $725 deposit. Echard offered a different account to The Sun, saying he had been the one requesting a paternity test — paid for by Owens — and dismissing her allegations as “baseless.”
“[I’m] not giving [the claims] the time of day,” he said at the time, adding that he had since agreed to take the paternity test on September 26, 2023.
In his own court filing, Echard argued that the case was “groundless and lacking in merit” and asked that he be awarded attorney fees. He again insisted that he and Owens “never had sexual intercourse.” The parties were set to appear in court on September 28, 2023, for an early resolution conference.
Clayton Echard’s Case Headed Toward a Legal Reckoning
What began as a civil dispute escalated significantly over the next three years. A paternity test ultimately showed that there was “little to no fetal DNA” present. Owens has said she had a miscarriage and claimed to have two lab tests proving she had been pregnant.
In 2024, an Arizona judge granted Echard’s request for non-paternity. Owens was subsequently indicted by the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office on criminal charges including perjury and fraud. The charges related both to her paternity allegations against Echard and to similar allegations she had made against another Scottsdale man in 2021. Owens originally pleaded not guilty in 2024.
The case drew wide attention, becoming the subject of the popular podcast Love Trapped, which investigated accusations that Owens may have used similar legal tactics against other exes. (Owens denied any wrongdoing.)
Clayton Echard Reacts to Laura Owens’ Guilty Plea
On August 28, 2026, prosecutors agreed to drop other criminal charges after Owens pleaded guilty to two counts of fraudulent schemes and artifice, one count of perjury and one count of taking the identity of another.
The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office said the identity charge stemmed from Owens allegedly stealing another woman’s ultrasound image.
Echard addressed the plea in a TikTok video the following day. “It’s the first time that we’ve seen Laura take any accountability in this matter,” he said.
“Upon the ending of yesterday’s court hearing, I found myself telling the other guys, the other victims, it was anticlimactic what occurred yesterday,” he continued. “I felt numb and emotionless. I couldn’t understand why that was.”
Echard said he came to understand his reaction after further reflection. “It’s because my healing was not contingent upon what occurred yesterday. I have already healed. I’m grateful for this entire experience — I know that sounds backwards. The amount of resilience I’ve built through all of this, the community I have found with all of this adversity, the power of presence that I’ve gained. The insight. Everything that has come from all of this. I would do it 1,000 times over because I’m proud of the man I’ve become through it all.”
Clayton Echard on What Comes Next for Laura Owens
Despite their three-year legal battle, Echard said he was “proud” of Owens for finally taking responsibility.
“Laura has never been able to take an ounce of accountability until yesterday,” he said. “That’s not lost upon me, how huge that was. I think that’s a major, potentially life-altering step in Laura’s life where her taking a sliver of accountability yesterday could be the turning point for her. I want that for Laura. I want Laura to heal. I want her to see brighter days.”
He also credited the online community that rallied around the case. “From the podcast, we’ve seen millions of people — which I never thought it would get to that level of a community — people have come together and fought for justice and we are on that track where we are seeing justice be served,” he said.
Echard called on Owens to “share why she did what she did” to bring closure to those affected. “There is more healing in Laura’s redemption than there is in her destruction,” he argued.
Owens will be sentenced on October 23, 2026. Echard said in his TikTok video that he plans to ask the judge to impose a prison sentence.
This story was compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists.
