Clayton Echard Connects with Other Victims of Paternity Lawsuit Scam

Clayton Echard recounted his experience involving a paternity lawsuit and met others who faced similar situations.

“She was very flirtatious and she had sent me a provocative photo,” Echard, 32, stated during a Thursday, October 30, interview with Inside Edition.

Echard met Laura Owens after his time on The Bachelor, which aired in 2022. The two connected over real estate when Owens expressed interest in purchasing a home he was selling. They had a brief romantic encounter that Echard quickly came to regret.

“I told her that ‘Hey, last night was a mistake. I shouldn’t have crossed that professional boundary,’” he told the media outlet.

After they ended their relationship, Echard received an email from Owens “11 days” later, in which she claimed she was pregnant and included ultrasound images. Echard insisted that he and Owens were never intimate and was certain the baby was not his. Following Owens filing a paternity lawsuit, Echard requested a paternity test, which Owens eventually agreed to five months later.

In 2023, Echard’s conflict with Owens drew media attention. Two men contacted Echard, alleging that Owens had also claimed to be pregnant with their children.

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

Michael Mariachi was one of the individuals who reached out to Echard after experiencing a similar situation. His attorney, Rachel Juarez, spoke to Inside Edition about her client’s story during the Thursday episode.

“It seems like this is really a pattern of fraud that is going on,” Juarez explained. “There are several men she has alleged to have impregnated her, yet there has never been a child from any of these pregnancies.”

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

Echard and Owens appeared in court in June 2024, where Owens claimed to have had a miscarriage while testifying. The court ruled in Echard’s favor, determining that Owens had “knowingly presented a false claim.”

The court further suggested that Owens be investigated after Echard disclosed being 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 stated.

Echard’s attorney, Gregg Woodnick, also expressed satisfaction with the ruling in a statement to Us Weekly.

“We are pleased with the outcome and Judge Mata’s thorough ruling,” he announced on Tuesday. “We hope this marks the conclusion of a long ordeal for all the victims.”

Following the court decision, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Owens’ residence due to a criminal investigation accusing her of fraud and perjury related to her lawsuit against Echard. Owens faces seven felony charges and has entered a plea of not guilty.