NEW SEXUAL ASSAULT LAWSUIT FILED AGAINST BROWNS QB DESHAUN WATSON
A new sexual assault lawsuit has been filed against Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson in Harris County (Texas) District Court as another woman, a licensed massage therapist only identified as “Jane Doe,” accuses him of seeking sex during a massage session in 2020 and being able to “pressure her into oral sex.”
The sexual assault lawsuit, the 26th known civil lawsuit filed against Deshaun Watson, was filed on Thursday and alleges that Watson “attempted to solicit sexually related acts with a plaintiff.” The suit accuses Watson of soliciting the plaintiff over Instagram with a direct message for a massage at a hotel in Houston, Texas in December 2020. The lawsuit states that Watson “continually pressured [the plaintiff] into massaging his private area” before he “removed his towel” and “offered to let her ‘get on top.’”
As per the suit, the plaintiff “refused to have sex with Watson” but Watson was, however, “able to pressure her into oral sex.” The lawsuit goes on to state that “Watson paid [the plaintiff] $300 for her services, although her normal charge was $115 for an hour massage,” and that the plaintiff has “suffered from severe depression and anxiety” since the alleged incident. According to the lawsuit, the plaintiff seeks “minimal compensatory damages” as a result of the filing.
The lawsuit was filed by Universal Law Group in Houston and the plaintiff is represented by attorney Annisah M. Nguyen and not Tony Buzbee, the attorney who represented numerous other victims who filed suits against Watson and the Houston Texans. Nguyen released a statement on Thursday in which she said they are still “in the early stages of litigation” but will seek to depose Deshaun Watson “before the end of the year.”
The statement read: “My client’s experience with Deshaun Watson follows a series of disturbingly similar encounters reported by more than 20 women who have filed suit against the NFL superstar. Like so many others, my client spent nearly two years struggling to cope with trauma from all that he stole from her, and the daily pain that has become her reality.”
“Knowing her story will bring on the hard conversations, criticism, and even victim-blaming, the strength and bravery of these other women gave my client the courage to stand up and speak out. She seeks justice not only for herself and her own healing, but for more than 20 women who refused to be shamed into silence, and the victims who have yet to come forward.”
“We are still in the early stages of litigation, but we will seek to depose Mr. Watson before the end of the year.”
As part of Deshaun Watson’s agreement with the NFL on August 18th, the new lawsuit does not affect the terms of Watson’s settlement nor does it subject him to any further discipline from the league. As per the settlement, the former Houston Texans quarterback “is not subject to further discipline for any alleged personal conduct policy violations arising from the same or similar conduct” that allegedly occurred before the settlement. The suit will thus have no impact on Watson’s current suspension.
Watson was suspended for 11 games and will get a chance to return to play in week 13 after the Browns’ week 12 bye. The 27-year-old was also required to undergo a mandatory behavioral evaluation by behavioral experts to determine a counseling plan and to only use team-mandated massage therapists and within the team’s facilities.
Watson returned to the Browns’ facility on Monday, October 10, for the first time since August 30th. He also reached confidential settlements with 23 of the 24 women who previously filed lawsuits against him alleging sexual misconduct and now has two pending civil lawsuits.
Watson’s former team, the Houston Texans, also reached an agreement with 30 women who made claims against the organization for “enabling” Watson’s behavior. The New York Times reported over the summer that the Texans had arranged for Watsons to see massage therapists in a hotel room in Houston.
Two grand juries in Texas declined to pursue criminal charges against Watson earlier this year but Judge Sue L. Robinson, an independent arbiter jointly appointed by the league and NFLPA, found that Watson’s conduct qualified as sexual assault. Robinson also said in her report that Watson’s behavior was both “egregious” and “predatory.”
Although Watson was allowed into the Browns’ facility this week, he won’t be allowed to practice with the team again until November 14th.
-Maher Abucheri
Twitter: @pabloikonyero
Photo: Erik Drost. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.