SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — A Scottsdale man who previously starred as "The Bachelor" has won a paternity suit and the woman who filed it could face criminal charges.
The suit was filed by Laura Owens in August 2023 and alleged Clayton Echard impregnated her. The judge issued a stunning 19-page ruling stating Owens did not file the petition in good faith, knowingly presented a false claim and provided false testimony.
'Something felt off. I just didn't realize how off it was.'
Echard moved to the Valley after a break-up following season 26 of "The Bachelor," which he starred in. Weeks after obtaining his real estate license, he received a LinkedIn message from Owens expressing interest in working with him.
"I was very naïve. So I thought, okay, hey, I was the former Bachelor. This makes sense that people are already going to want to do business with me because I'm well-known. So I responded to that message," Echard said.
Echard said their conversations became flirtatious and she ended up going over to his house.
“Some things happened but there was no sexual intercourse. And then the next day, when I told her that was a mistake and this can't be anything more than what that was, she said she wanted to give it a chance and date. I told her no. She began to cry, and I realized at that point something felt off. I just didn't realize how off it was," Echard said.
Eleven days later, Owens told Echard she was pregnant.
“I couldn't believe it, just because what occurred that night. I said 'there's no way that this actually happened'," Echard said.
Echard wanted to see an ultrasound and if the pregnancy was confirmed, he wanted a paternity test. He said in the meantime, he received multiple emails per day from Owens. One of the emails had a proposed dating contract.
“She drafted up an actual dating contract that she typed up that basically said 'date me for a week. And if you do and it doesn't work out, then I'll have an abortion, but if you don't date me, I'm having this child,'" Echard said.
Owens eventually told Echard she was pregnant with twins. She emailed him a video of an alleged ultrasound. Echard said he later learned the video was from a years-old YouTube video. He confirmed that with the original poster.
“Either I'm dealing with the craziest woman that I've ever dealt with, or they're telling the truth. So I kept going back, being like, there's no way I've run into this level of crazy. But I did," Echard said.
Paternity suit filed as Echard learns of other cases
In August, Owens filed a paternity suit and shared her accusations publicly through tabloids.
“It was guilty until proven innocent. Everyone online was saying, 'Yep, this is the guy that we saw on The Bachelor. Terrible person. Makes sense, this tracks.' And then professionally, I lost a lot of speaking engagements. I was speaking around the country on mental health. That's a passion of mine being an advocate. And everything went completely dark because everyone was googling me," Echard said.
Shortly after Owens went public, Echard learned he wasn't alone. He was made aware of other men who also received paternity claims from Owens including a 2021 case also out of Maricopa County.
Court records show the man accused in that case alleged Owens was faking the pregnancy and believed the sonograms she shared were altered. That case was ultimately dismissed as no baby ever came.
“That's where this became bigger than me. At that moment, I realized that I'm not fighting for myself anymore. I'm fighting for these previous men that were victimized and that are still in court," Echard said.
Echard eventually had a paternity test and court records show the results showed "little to no fetal DNA."
During a November hearing, Owens testified she had just recently seen her doctor and stated she was "100%" and "24 weeks" pregnant. However, another paternity test weeks later again showed "little to no fetal DNA."
Owens then claimed she miscarried. She filed a motion to dismiss her suit. Echard's legal team opted to continue.
“Her story is just made up. At this point, it's just lie after lie after lie," Echard said.
During an evidentiary hearing earlier this month, Owens maintained the validity of her pregnancy but admitted to altering medical records.
Judge issues unprecedented ruling
Last week, Judge Julie Mata issued an unprecedented 19-page ruling that found Owens knowingly presented a false claim. Mata ordered she pay attorney fees.
"Petitioner [Owens] acknowledged she altered hCG test results, an ultrasound and sonogram," the ruling said. "The court finds the underlying Petition premature at best. At worst, however, fraudulent and made to incite communication, a relationship, or both, with the Respondent [Echard]."
Mata wrote Owens has a pattern of "similar, if not identical behavior," and referred the matter to the Maricopa County Attorney's Office for review.
An MCAO spokesperson confirmed to 12News that they received the minute entry from the case and are reviewing it to determine what steps might be next. No decision has been made.
"This has been an exhausting ordeal for Clayton Echard and the other victims. Clayton appreciates the court’s thoughtful ruling and will cooperate with the County Attorney’s office with their investigation and prosecution of Ms. Owens. Clayton hopes that Ms. Owens embraces counseling and intervention so that this never happens again," said Gregg Woodnick, Echard's attorney.
Owens responds to ruling
Owens published a blog post in response to the ruling titled "When Common Sense is Overruled." She wrote the evidence she presented was deemed meaningless by the judge. She stated she believed the only reason the judge allowed the case to continue after she was no longer pregnant was because of Echard's high-profile status.
She and her attorney say they plan to appeal.
"We strongly disagree with the court's decision and we will be pursing an appeal. We are confident this bizarre, unprecedented ruling will not stand on appeal," said David Gingras, Owens' attorney. "That conclusion was flat wrong, and it appears to be supported by nothing more than gossip on social media posted by Clayton's cult-like followers who have been bullying, harassing, and defaming Laura for months. Judgments based on gossip, not facts, have no place in our justice system."
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