DESHAUN WATSON FACING A 23RD CIVIL LAWSUIT ACCUSING HIM OF SEXUAL MISCONDUCT
Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson, expected to take the field on Wednesday for the Browns’ second week of Organized Team Activities open to the media, has had another civil lawsuit filed against him, bringing the total number of civil lawsuits levied against the 26-year-old up to 23. The 23rd lawsuit has been filed by a massage therapist accusing him of sexual misconduct during appointments between June 7th and late August or early September of 2020.
The plaintiff, represented by Tony Buzbee, who represents the other 22 women who have filed lawsuits against Watson, was inspired to file suit after watching the HBO interviews on Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel that aired on Tuesday last week. The episode featured interviews by two women, Ashley Solis and Kyla Hayes, conducted by broadcast journalist Soledad O’Brien.
The lawsuit, filed in Harris County, Texas, states: “In that piece, plaintiff was struck by the courage of the victims willing to step forward and speak and was extremely displeased by Watson and his legal team’s mistreatment and revictimizations of the plaintiffs.”
“But it was Watson himself claiming that even now he has ‘no regrets’ and has done nothing wrong that solidified her resolve. She brings this case seeking minimum compensation, but to obtain a court finding that Watson’s conduct was wrong.”
Watson’s lawyer Rustin Hardin issued a statement on Tuesday night that aggressively challenged the validity of the new claim saying: “Deshaun Watson vehemently denies the allegations, just as he has since she first discussed them with members of our firm in March of last year. She repeated the allegations on social media in August and he denied them then. The only thing new about her contentions is the embellishment making them more extreme than prior versions. Deshaun’s denial remains the same.”
The 23rd plaintiff also claims that two of Hardin’s colleagues tried to coerce her not to make claims against Watson, quoting them as saying: ‘Us black women must stick together,’ to which Hardin replied: “The two highly respected lawyers from our firm, Letitia Quinones and Rachel Lewis, also vehemently deny there was any coercion or intimidation involved in the very cordial meeting at Vic and Anthony’s.”
“They met her to see if she was one of Mr. Buzbee’s then still anonymous plaintiffs. At that time Mr. Buzbee refused to identify his clients. The suggestion that either of these two accomplished lawyers would have said ‘us black women must stick together’ is absurd. The interview was so congenial, she joined the lawyers for dinner afterwards.”
Hardin and his camp have tried to make Buzbee the focal point of their attack, accusing him of pushing these cases to gain publicity for himself and to score interviews on shows like HBO’s Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel.
“We are aware that more than a year ago she had other lawyers representing her and they ultimately terminated the representation,” Hardin said. “This plaintiff has long had a vendetta against Deshaun since she jealously and angrily published Deshaun’s personal data on social media in November 2020. In filing her lawsuit now she was obviously not influenced by recent developments. We are not surprised Mr. Buzbee was willing to say just about anything to get more publicity. He knows the NFL continues to investigate these cases, and this is a transparent attempt to further punish the man he sees as a potential payday.”
The 23rd civil lawsuit describes very explicit allegations in three separate incidents with the former Houston Texans quarterback in which Watson kept demanding the woman to go inside of his anus, massage his buttocks, and to have sex with him. The lawsuit also states that Watson touched the woman between her legs and she had to massage him “from a distance” in order to “avoid his groping.”
The plaintiff also alleges that the owner of the spa, A New U Salon Spa, “provided women for Watson” with the complaint reading: “Dionne Louis, the owner of the spa, facilitated massages for Watson and knew Watson was attempting to have sex with them… It was later learned that Watson paid Dionne Louis at least ($5000) for Louis’ ‘work.’”
While Watson has consistently denied the accusations made by all 23 plaintiffs, the fact remains that there will be 23 trials eventually, barring settlement or dismissal, with attorney Tony Buzbee confirming that he’ll be filing a 24th lawsuit sometime this week.
Two grand juries have since declined to indict Watson on criminal charges, and the NFL has yet to conclude its own investigation into Watson or decide whether the Pro Bowl quarterback will be suspended during the upcoming season. The NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said last week, however, that the NFL was “nearing the end of the investigative period” and would soon turn the matter over to independent disciplinary officer Sue L. Robinson.
It is unknown how this will impact the NFL’s timeline to reach a decision on Watson’s potential discipline. If Watson is suspended, fined or both, he’ll have the chance to appeal, at which time Goodell or his designee can amend the sanctions in any way they see fit. With the increasing chance that the Cleveland Browns will trade away 2018 no.1 overall pick Baker Mayfield this offseason, it seems the Browns will have to start backup quarterback Jacoby Brissett this season if Watson is suspended, although the team is hoping to have him for most of the season.
-Maher Abucheri
Twitter: @pabloikonyero
Photo: Jeffrey Beall. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license.