Former Bachelor Clayton Echard reacts to Laura Owens being in.di.cted over paternity scheme: 'The nightmare is over'

Former Bachelor Clayton Echard is not hiding his joy following news that the woman who filed a paternity suit against him, claiming to be pregnant with his unborn twins, has been indicted on felony charges.

Laura Michelle Owens, 34, is facing a seven-count indictment after providing false testimony related to a "paternity scheme," Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell announced on Tuesday. The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office further claims that from May 2023 to June 2024, Owens "altered an ultrasound image, fabricated a pregnancy video, and lied multiple times under oath."

Owens, who is the daughter of San Francisco Bay radio host Ronn Owens, has been indicted on one count of fraudulent schemes and artifices, one count of forgery, four counts of perjury, and one count of tampering with physical evidence.

Echard, the star of The Bachelor's 26th season, could not contain his glee in a video shared across his social media accounts.

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"Justice is finally served. I am absolutely amped to share this news with you today,” he began his Tuesday Instagram video, before listing the charges against Owens. "This nightmare is over. I am so ready to not have to think about this anymore."

He went on to thank investigators and his lawyers, adding, "This is a weight of two years lifted off my shoulders. It feels good."

In the caption of his post, Echard wrote, "Thank you all for your continued support in helping me seek justice. It has been a long, tiresome road, but we have reached the end point of where we hoped to be. It’s nothing but celebratory dance moves for the foreseeable future from here on out."

In a lengthy statement shared with Entertainment Weekly, Owens responded to her indictment, maintaining that she did not fake her pregnancy and that the charges were influenced by an online "Justice for Clayton" movement that led a "coordinated harassment" and "misinformation" campaign against her.

Pointing to the charges, Ownens wrote that the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office "did not charge me with faking a pregnancy. Instead, they are allowing that narrative to linger — encouraging the perception without making the allegation — because they know it cannot withstand scrutiny."

She added, "These charges appear to be the product of intense public pressure, not impartial judgment. They reflect a system that responded to online outrage, ignored procedural protections, and moved forward based on narrative rather than fact. It is difficult not to see them as part of a broader effort to discredit me, discourage me, and make an example out of me.”

Owens' indictment comes nearly a year after Echard won the paternity suit that she filed against him in August 2023, claiming he got her pregnant during a one-night stand. (Echard has maintained that the two never had sex.) Owens sought child support from Echard, then dropped her claim, alleging she’d had a miscarriage. The MCAO's investigation into her began in July 2024 following "several inconsistent statements" from Owens during her paternity hearing for Echard. 

Arizona Judge Julie Ann Mata found that Owens "knowingly presented a false claim, [and] knowingly violated a court order compelling disclosure or discovery."

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The judge stated that Owens' complaint was "premature at best" and, at worst, "fraudulent and made to incite communication, a relationship, or both, with [Echard]."

The court also supported the claim from Echard's lawyers that Owens "has a pattern of similar, if not identical behavior, and court involvement" and as such, passed the issue onto the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office for additional review of her conduct. 

Echard was granted his Petition for Non-Paternity and payment of his attorney fees.