Former Bachelor Clayton Echard Speaks Out After Winning Paternity Case: 'Accountability Needed to Be Had' (Exclusive)

Clayton Echard is speaking out after winning a paternity suit against him.

The former Bachelor, 31, tells PEOPLE he’s happy about the legal victory because “there needs to be accountability” nine months after an unidentified woman — who has since been named as Laura Owens in recent court filings — claimed he was the father of her unborn child twins during a one night stand.

“At the end of the day, I don’t want her to ever do this to anyone else again… I don’t think she’s shown any signs of stopping,” he says. “I mean, I was victim number four that we know of, so we felt that especially when someone commits a crime, they should face legal consequences for it.”

Clayton Echard. Pamela Littky/ABC via Getty Images ‘The Bachelor’ Alum Clayton Echard Says ‘Truth Will Always Set You Free’ Amid Paternity Scandal

According to court documents obtained by PEOPLE, Arizona Judge Julia Ann Mata noted that Owens “knowingly made a false claim, knowingly violated a court order requiring discovery or discovery.”

Mata found that “[Owens] acted unreasonably when she started a lawsuit without basis and grounds. Without an authentic ultrasound, sonogram, physical examination and combined with the belief that she passed the tissue in July 2023, the Court finds the underlying claim to be premature at best. At worst, however, false and made to encourage communication, relationship, or both, s [Echard].”

The former reality star was therefore awarded the non-paternity claim and his attorney’s fees.

The court also “found that Laura Owens has a pattern of similar, if not identical, behavior and participation in court” and referred the matter to the Maricopa County State’s Attorney’s office for further review of her actions.

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Echard admits he was “a bit in disbelief” after seeing the Arizona court’s ruling, adding: “It was weird that this has been going on for a year and it’s just now, I guess, over. It was very exciting though and I was excited to I went to talk to the other victims and let them know.”

He calls the referral to the Maricopa County District Attorney’s office for possible criminal charges “the biggest win for me.”

“That’s what I wanted more than anything else, because at the end of the day, I don’t want this to happen again,” he adds.

Clayton Echard. John Medland/ABC

Echard says he had the “unwavering support” of his family throughout the ordeal.

“I sent them all a text this morning informing them of the verdict and they were absolutely delighted,” he says. “They were very sure that this would be in our favor anyway. They all appeared at the hearing, so they were in court with me. And I mean, they were obviously just excited to see that justice was actually served.”

An Arizona real estate agent — who works on a podcast about men’s mental health — says it’s “kind of weird” to look to the future after winning court. He explains: “I mean, in a weird way, this was the last year of my life — and it’s not like I wanted to go through this — but it almost became part of my identity for the wrong reasons, not what I always wanted it to be. But it’s weird now to go forward and say, ‘Okay, I’m going to put this behind me.’”

“Of course that’s what I want to do, but it seems like there’s so much emotion involved,” he adds. “And I think now I just need to be able to take the time to finally break this in my head and come to terms with everything that happened.”

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In a statement to PEOPLE, Echard’s attorney, Gregg Woodnick, said, “This has been an exhausting process, but we are very pleased with the outcome and Judge Mata’s thoughtful ruling. We hope this is the end [of] a saga for all victims.”

Echard also appeared to react to the verdict on social media, writing: “Best day ever.”

Clayton Echard’s Instagram story.

Clayton Echard/Instagram

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Owens’ attorney, David Gingras, told PEOPLE that his client plans to appeal the ruling.

The verdict comes nine months after Bachelor The alum revealed the results of his paternity test and denied he is the father in response to a woman who filed a lawsuit against him in September, claiming he fathered her unborn twins after a one-night stand.

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In the lawsuit, the woman alleged that Echard became pregnant after the two met for a one-night stand. After filing the lawsuit, the woman asked Echard to take a test to find out the paternity of her unborn twins before she gives birth in February. The 33-year-old woman, who chose to remain anonymous at the time, claimed the former bachelor didn’t comply with her test demands.

At the time, Echard denied claims that he had a “sexual relationship” with the woman in an interview with Sun. The woman allegedly told the outlet that he refused to take the test and she had to pay a $725 deposit to do so, but Echard called her accusations “baseless” and “baseless.”

In court documents obtained by PEOPLE, the woman said Echard refused to believe she was pregnant when she initially informed him back in June.

“I wanted you to come to me to confirm what I suspected. And you confirmed that. So I don’t see you as a liar anymore,” he allegedly told the unidentified woman.

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Source: HIS Education