Clayton Echard has opened up about his involvement in a paternity lawsuit, detailing his experience and sharing insights with others who have faced similar situations.

“She was quite flirtatious and sent me a suggestive photo,” Echard, 32, revealed during an interview with Inside Edition on Thursday, October 30.

Echard crossed paths with Laura Owens after his stint on The Bachelor, which aired in 2022. Their initial connection was through real estate, as Owens expressed interest in purchasing a property he was selling. This professional interaction quickly turned into a brief romantic encounter, one that Echard soon regretted.

“I admitted to her that ‘Hey, last night was a mistake. I shouldn’t have blurred that professional line,'” he recounted to the outlet.

Meanwhile, Echard’s former girlfriend Gabby Windey has her own perspective on his paternity saga, and it’s not entirely favorable. “Clayton recently, last Friday, revealed in a very Maury Povich style that he was not the father,” Nick Viall mentioned to Windey, 32, during an episode of “The Viall Files” podcast on Tuesday, October 10. “It was […]”

After calling things off, Echard received an email from Owens, “11 days” later, claiming that she was pregnant with his baby and sent him a series of ultrasound photos. Echard claimed that he and Owens were never intimate, and he was adamant that the baby was not his. Owens filed a paternity lawsuit against Echard, and he responded by asking for a paternity test. Owens complied five months later.

In 2023, Echard’s drama with Owens made headlines. Two men reached out to Echard, alleging that Owens claimed she was pregnant with their babies as well.

“She’s still probably looking for her next victim,” he said.

Michael Mariachi was one of the men who reached out to Echard after going through the same experience. His lawyer, Rachel Juarez, spoke to Inside Edition during the Thursday episode about her client’s experience.

“It seems like this is really a pattern of fraud that is going on,” Juarez said. “There are a number of men that she has alleged to have gotten her pregnant and there’s never been a baby that comes out of any of these pregnancies.”

“She wasn’t pregnant at all,” Echard told Inside Edition on Thursday.

Echard and Owens went to court in June 2024. While on the stand, Owens claimed she suffered a miscarriage. The court ruled in favor of Echard. A judge ruled that Owens “knowingly presented a false claim.”

The court also recommended that Owens be investigated further after Echard claimed to be in contact with other victims.

“It is further ordered, the Court having determined that Laura Owens has a pattern of similar, if not identical behavior, and court involvement, referring this matter to the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office for review of Laura Owens’ actions,” the ruling read.

Susie Evans got candid about her thoughts on ex Clayton Echard’s public paternity saga. “When this was happening, I heard Clayton’s perspective,” Evans, 30, revealed on “The Viall Files” podcast episode on Tuesday, November 21. “And if there’s one thing I can say about Clayton is that he is not a liar. He is not […]

Echard’s lawyer, Gregg Woodnick, also celebrated the ruling in a statement to Us Weekly at the time.

“We are pleased with the outcome and Judge Mata’s thorough ruling,” he said on Tuesday. “We hope this is the end of a long saga for all the victims.”

Following the court battle, law enforcement raided Owens’ house. Police arrived at her home with a search warrant for a criminal case that accused her of committing fraud and perjury in a lawsuit against Echard. Owens is facing seven felony charges and has pleaded not guilty.