HOUSTON – Twenty women who have filed lawsuits over inappropriate behavior and sexual assault by Deshaun Watson have changed their petitions to make their names known, while a new lawsuit against Houston Texans quarterback at the district clerk’s office in Harris County on Wednesday afternoon has been submitted.
The latest case was filed by a freelance makeup artist and says Watson addressed her via an instant message from Instagram on September 2, 2020, asking if she offered massages. The case describes two separate incidents that took place during massage sessions in September and November, during which Watson allegedly assaulted and harassed the woman “by exposing himself, touching her with his penis and touching her.”
The plaintiff alleges that he instructed her to grab his penis while massaging Watson a second time. She said no before finally doing as Watson ordered, because “the pressure of Watson’s relentless command that compels her will leave her powerless.”
This week, according to court documents, one of the original 22 lawsuits against Watson was dismissed “for the time being”.
“In light of the privacy and security issues, the plaintiff has decided not to pursue her case for the time being,” the document reads. “Plaintiff reserves the right to reaffirm this matter once such issues have been addressed.”
Another of the existing lawsuits is expected to be revoked Thursday after an emergency hearing was canceled on Wednesday.
On Friday, two judges ruled that most of the plaintiffs suing Watson must identify themselves. The rulings of two hearings on Friday covered 13 of the lawsuits against Watson, while attorneys also agreed to release a 14th name later in the day. Before Friday, only two women had been identified in public. Another emergency hearing to determine whether the remaining lawsuits should be amended was scheduled for Wednesday, but was adjourned shortly before the case began.
The lawyer for the claim, Tony Buzbee, said in a statement on Tuesday that his law firm ‘had earlier tried to make the names of the plaintiffs that Deshaun Watson filed available to the Defense Council, and intends to do so in due course. ‘
“We were concerned about the safety of these plaintiffs, and asked the Watson team to agree to a protection order where the identity could be used in litigation but could not be broadcast to the world,” the statement said. Buzbee.
In a statement last week, Watson’s attorney Rusty Hardin said that when his law firm asked Buzbee “to identify his clients weeks ago, he refused and told us to file a motion.”
“While I understand that anonymity is often used as a shield for victims, Mr. Buzbee uses it as a sword,” Hardin said in a statement Thursday. “While Mr Buzbee is protecting his clients from public inquiry, he continues to use their anonymous allegations to destroy Mr Watson. That is simply not right. And we look forward to resolving these matters in court. “