USA TODAY Sports
The civil cases of Deshaun Watson will have their first hearings on Friday.
Via Sarah Barshop of ESPN.com, a few hearings will be held tomorrow morning on the question of whether the 20 women who are suing Watson anonymously should reveal their identities. One will take place at 8:45 a.m. ET and the other one at noon ET.
Attorney Rusty Hardin apparently requested the emergency hearings as Watson’s deadline for the civil charges approaches. However, it is more likely that Hardin used this tactic to speed up the matter, forcing lawyer Tony Buzbee to the table for settlement talks.
Indeed, Watson’s official responses to the 20 complaints filed under the Jane Doe pseudonym could have consisted of broad denials of the various allegations based on the lack of specificity in the complaints. But this approach would not have immediately put pressure on the anonymous plaintiffs to reveal their identities. If Hardin can get verdict that the twenty anonymous plaintiffs should disclose their names, one or more (and possibly all) of the twenty anonymous plaintiffs will be more likely to conduct meaningful settlement conversations to keep their identities secret.
For Watson, it is worthwhile to resolve these issues sooner rather than later and determine the scene. But there is currently no reason for Buzbee to cooperate. If a court orders the anonymous plaintiffs to disclose their names, Buzbee might come to the table.
This strategy is not relevant to Ashley Solis and Lauren Baxley, the two plaintiffs who disclosed their identities earlier this week.