Laura Owens

Laura Michelle Owens, born on May 14, 1990, is a Public Figure from San Francisco, California currently living in Scottsdale, Arizona. Laura gained significant media attention in 2023 due to a high-profile paternity case involving Clayton Echard, a contestant on season 18 of The Bachelorette and lead of The Bachelor, season 26. Despite the controversy, Laura has continued to maintain a presence in the public eye, writing multiple blogs on medium.com about the case and her alleged harassment and abuse. Most recently, Laura has claimed to have Autism, without any documented proof. 

In addition to her media notoriety, Laura is also known for her involvement in the equestrian community at Blenheim Equisports in California. She competes nationally in U.S. Equestrian Federation equitation events on her horse, Scirocco 91. She co-hosts Nobody Told Me!, a self-help podcast, with her mother, Jan Black/Elizabeth Naylor/Jan Owens. Laura is co-owner and manager of Quartet Farms LLC with her mother, where Laura trains and sells investment ponies. Laura is also an aspiring real estate investor and co-founder of the real estate company Keybacker LLC, alongside her sister Sarah Navarro. Their father is the locally famous former KGO (San Francisco) radio host Ronn Owens.

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The paternity case involving Laura Michelle Owens and Clayton Echard, a former lead of ABC’s The Bachelor, has been followed by thousands of people online after Laura attempted to break the news on Reddit. Laura Owens claimed she became pregnant with twins after a brief sexual encounter with Echard. She filed a petition for court order of paternity in August 2023, seeking child support from Echard. Clayton has maintained from beginning to end that no penetrative sex occurred; only oral sex. Court records indicate that initially, Laura’s account matched Echard’s. However, her account has varied on multiple occasions over time.

The case took a significant turn in June 2024 when Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Julie Mata found that Owens had fabricated evidence. This included altering documents, changing the results of a pregnancy test, and providing false testimony. Owens herself admitted to altering and fabricating ultrasounds and sonograms in her deposition, which her lawyer David S. Gingras unsuccessfully attempted to have removed from evidence.

Ultimately, the court ruled in favor of Echard, stating that Owens’ evidence fell “woefully short” of proving her claims and “knowingly presented a false claim.” The judge referred Owens for criminal prosecution due to her actions. Owens was also ordered to pay Echard’s legal fees, totaling $149,219.76 This case has attracted significant media attention, underscoring the complexities and potential ramifications of false accusations.

Owens’ attorney David Gingras has indicated Laura intends to challenge the ruling on appeal.

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Laura Michelle Owens has been involved in several legal disputes beyond the high-profile paternity case with Clayton Echard. Here are some notable instances:

• MULTIPLE PATERNITY CLAIMS: Owens has a history of filing false paternity claims against multiple men. Since 2014, she has been accused of faking pregnancies in California and Arizona. This pattern of behavior has been noted in several cases where she claimed to be pregnant and brought about legal action against the alleged fathers, including victims Michael Marraccini and Greg Gillespie. Laura filed, then withdrew a paternity case against her 2014 victim in San Francisco. No verified medical records have ever been provided to support her claims. Owens has been accused of using the legal system to coerce men into relationships. This includes claims of domestic abuse and false pregnancies. Each victim had a unique relationship with Owens, ranging from legitimate romantic relationships to single instances. Along with false pregnancy claims, Laura has alleged to be pregnant with twins from at least three different men.
• FALSE ORDERS OF PROTECTION: Laura Owens has a history of filing for false Orders of Protection (OOP) against the very men she herself has abused. In 2018, Laura filed for a restraining order against Michael Marraccini only after he filed a police report against her. In November 2021, Laura filed for an OOP against Greg Gillespie only after he attempted three times to have her served in August 2021, exactly three months prior. Lastly, Laura filed for an OOP against Clayton on October 6, 2023, the same day Clayton publicly announced a DNA test proved he was not the father of her alleged twins.

• LAWSUITS AND THREATS OF LAWSUITS AIMED AT MEDIA: In late 2023, Laura Owens sued journalist Dave Neal for harassment, following his media coverage of the Owens/Echard paternity case. After Mr. Neal signed an agreement, Laura dropped her case against him. Owens also called the police on content creator Liz Neptune in Florida for briefly covering the case in a YouTube video. Multiple other media figures reported receiving cease-and-desist letters threatening lawsuits from Laura. 

• UBER LAWSUIT: Owens was involved in a three-way motor vehicle accident as a passenger in an Uber. She subsequently sued all parties involved, including her Uber driver, the other driver, and the company Uber. A settlement was made. However, the outcome is not public knowledge. 

• OTHER ALLEGED VICTIMS: Laura Owens’ pattern of abuse has reportedly affected both personal and professional acquaintances, some of whom have privately come forward to journalists and other individuals.

These cases highlight a troubling pattern of behavior where Owens allegedly used legal actions to manipulate and coerce others. The court in Arizona has referred her actions for criminal prosecution to County Attorney Rachel Mitchell due to the severity and frequency of these allegations. She now faces potential Class 4 Felonies, including perjury and falsifying medical records in the state of Arizona.

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Laura Michelle Owens comes from a family with a strong background in media and broadcasting. Her parents, Ronn Owens and Jan Black (also known as Elizabeth Naylor), have had long, successful careers in radio and news broadcasting. Ronn Owens was employed as a radio host for KGO Radio in San Francisco for over 42 years and subsequently inducted into the Bay Area Radio Hall of Fame in 2007. He interviewed numerous celebrities, businessmen and politicians in his tenure there.

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Laura Michelle Owens began riding at the age of eight and has since become an active member of the equestrian community, continuing to compete in the amateur division.

According to her website, Laura has excelled in various equestrian disciplines, particularly in hunter and equitation events. She has consistently secured top ten finishes at major horse shows nationwide, including prestigious events like the World Champion Hunter Rider Adult Challenge and the North American League Adult Finals. Some of the achievements listed on her website include:

• National Competitions: She has competed nationally in hunter and equitation events on her horse, Scirocco 91.
• Elite Horse Development: Laura is also known for acquiring, developing, and selling elite hunter, jumper, and equitation horses and ponies for the “A” circuit. Some of her successful projects include:
  •  Editor’s Note: A two-time winner at Pony Finals.
  •  Butterscotch: Reserve Grand Green Pony Hunter Champion at Pony Finals.
  •  Small Joy: An International Derby horse that qualified for every significant horse show in the US.
  •  L. Alta Vida: A multiple winner in equitation at Capital Challenge and a four-time year-end winner in the Adult Equitation.

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Laura Michelle Owens self-recorded a TEDx talk entitled “The Lifesaving Power of Kindness to Strangers” at TEDxMercerIslandHSWomen. In her talk, Laura shared her personal story of escaping an abusive relationship, highlighting how a simple act of kindness from a stranger on a plane changed her life. However, many of the details of this story have been debunked by court records, verified text messages and conflicting claims that Laura made during other interviews.

Laura Owens maintains an active restraining order against the man in the story, Michael Marraccini. Many online have come to his defense, arguing the evidence shows Laura lied in the declarations she made to obtain the restraining order. Michael stated in an interview with Megan Fox that this restraining order has made it difficult for him to gain employment as it shows up on background checks, severely stunting the growth of his career.

“The Lifesaving Power of Kindness to Strangers” was also published in story form in Chicken Soup for the Soul, but has since been removed from the publication due to Chicken Soup’s serious doubts of the story’s authenticity.

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