The Bachelor alum Clayton Echard is setting the record straight.
On Thursday, the 30-year-old reality star posted a screenshot of a receipt for a paternity test in order to clear the air after he was named in a paternity lawsuit in August by an unidentified woman.
In the lawsuit, the woman alleged that Echard got her pregnant after the two met for a one-night stand. Since filing the suit, the woman has requested Echard take a test to find out the paternity of her unborn twins before she gives birth in February. The 33-year-old woman, who has chosen to remain anonymous, has recently claimed that the former Bachelor wasn’t complying with her requests for a test.
“This is the timeline. The truth will always set you free,” Echard wrote over the email receipt in a post to his Instagram Story. Per his screenshot, the television personality paid $725 to schedule an appointment with a paternity clinic.
“I will take my portion of the test on the 27th of September,” he wrote in the email, adding that the woman will contribute her sample on Oct. 2. “Results will then take about a week to get back. I believe we’re all on the same page now.”
On Monday, Echard denied claims he had “sexual intercourse” with the woman in an interview with . The woman reportedly told the outlet that he refused to take a test and that she had to pay a $725 deposit for it, but Echard called her accusations “baseless” and “lacking in merit.”
In court documents, the woman stated that Echard refused to believe she was pregnant when she originally informed him back in June.
“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,” he allegedly texted the unidentified woman.
After the two parties take the paternity test, they are scheduled for an early resolution conference and will appear in court immediately on Sept. 28.
Echard’s alleged paternity scandal comes nearly one year after he and Susie Evans announced their decision to split. The former couple met on his season of The Bachelor and lived together for less than a year before going long distance and eventually parting ways.
“With incredibly heavy hearts, we wanted to share that we have decided to go our separate ways,” Echard and Evans wrote in a joint Instagram statement at the time. “For anyone who has ever loved, knows this was a painful decision to make and not one taken lightly.”
“We understand that there will likely be a lot of questions about this decision — social media is definitely a highlight reel and much of our experiences together we have kept private as I’m sure most can understand. But we will share this — although this last year together has brought us so much joy and so many laughs, there has also been a significant amount of pain,” they continued. “We know no healthy relationship comes without its struggles, but we’ve realized that we were not prepared for the external forces that hindered our ability to not only heal as individuals but also as a couple.”
The former couple said they would be “focused on continuing to work on ourselves, so we can be the best version of ourselves” going forward.
