Deshaun Watson’s attorney, Rusty Hardin, revealed that one woman has dropped her civil lawsuit against the Texans quarterback, NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported Tuesday.
“We believe we have names for 20 of the 22 lawsuits,” Hardin said. “We’ve got one dismissed and we’re looking for one (name).”
Last week in two separate hearings, state district Judge Dedra Davis granted Watson’s attorney a request to identify one of the 22 plaintiffs. A second judge made the same determination in the cases of 12 other women Friday afternoon. Later that same day, the attorneys came to an agreement to release a 14th name.
Prior to Friday, only two women had publicly been identified.
Houston attorney Tony Buzbee released a statement Tuesday evening saying that his law firm will amend all 22 lawsuits to disclose the names, “even those not currently subject to any court order.”
In his statement, Buzbee said his law firm “previously attempted to make available to Defense Counsel the names of the plaintiffs suing Deshaun Watson, and intended to do so in due course.”
“We were concerned about the safety of these plaintiffs, and asked the Watson team to agree to a protective order where the identities could be used in litigation, but not broadcast to the world.”
However, Hardin said in a statement last week 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 often is used as a shield for victims, Mr. Buzbee is using it as a sword,” Hardin said in a statement on Thursday. “While shielding his clients from public scrutiny, Mr. Buzbee continues to use their anonymous allegations to destroy Mr. Watson. This is simply not right. And we look forward to resolving these matters in court.”
As of Tuesday evening, 11 lawsuits have been amended to disclose the plaintiffs’ names.
- March 30, 2020, at the plaintiff’s home in Texas
- April 19, 2020, at a Houston spa
- June 2, 2020, at a Houston spa
- July 15, 2020, at a home in Beverly Hills, Calif
- Aug. 2, 2020, at a hotel in Houston
- Aug. 28, 2020, at The Houstonian Hotel, Club and Spa
- Sept. 24, 2020, at a rented room in a Houston salon
- Multiple encounters between Sept. 9, 2020, and October 2020, at a Houston spa
- Two sessions, Oct. 19 and around November 2, 2020, at the plaintiff’s office in Houston
- Dec. 28, 2020, at a Houston office building
- Jan. 21, 2021, in Houston
These 22 civil lawsuits currently on the Harris County District Clerk’s website, which were filed between March 16 and April 2, allege sexual harassment and assault during massage appointments over the last year, including one earlier in March.
The allegations range from refusing to cover his genitals to forcing women to give him oral sex.
In addition to the civil lawsuits, Houston Police Department released a statement on Friday (April 2) stating that someone has filed a report on Watson.
