Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson was called a “serial predator” in the latest of 14 lawsuits against him alleging sexual assault.
As with almost all of the lawsuits, the new lawsuit said, “Watson’s behavior is part of a disturbing pattern,” but was the first to include, “Plaintiff believes Watson to be a serial predator.”
Seven new lawsuits were filed in Harris County, Texas on Monday by attorney Tony Buzbee, who is representing the women. Buzbee filed seven lawsuits against Watson last week.
After the first suit was filed, Watson denied those allegations in a statement posted to Twitter.
“As a result of a social media post by a publicity-seeking plaintiff’s lawyer, I recently became aware of a lawsuit that has apparently been filed against me. I have not yet seen the complaint, but I know this: I have never treated any woman with anything other than the utmost respect. The plaintiff’s lawyer claims that this isn’t about money, but before filing suit he made a baseless six-figure settlement demand, which I quickly rejected. Unlike him, this isn’t about money for me — it’s about clearing my name, and I look forward to doing that,” the post said.
Watson’s lawyer, Rusty Hardin, said Tuesday he and Watson recognize that sexual assault and harassment are unlawful and morally wrong, but he believes the allegations are false.
“Opposing counsel has orchestrated a circus-like atmosphere by using social media to publicize 14 ‘Jane Doe’ lawsuits during the past seven days in a manner calculated to inflame the public and malign Deshaun’s otherwise sterling reputation,” Hardin had said in a statement Monday. “In addition, the tactic of refusing our requests to confidentially provide the names of the plaintiffs so we can fully investigate their claims makes uncovering the truth extremely difficult. Anonymity is often necessary as a shield for victims but opposing counsel has used it as a sword to publicly humiliate Deshaun before the truth‑seeking process can even begin.”
“I believe that any allegation that Deshaun forced a woman to commit a sexual act is completely false,” Hardin said in the statement.
Hardin also said that he has spoken with “many” massage therapists who have worked with Watson and “describe him as a gentleman and a model client who never engaged in inappropriate conduct.”
The seven new lawsuits filed Monday describe incidents that allegedly took place from April 2020 to March 2021 in Houston, Atlanta and Beverly Hills.
Five of the lawsuits were filed by massage therapists or people allegedly hired to give a massage. One of the lawsuits was filed by an esthetician and another by a woman who “offers various wellness therapy services.”
All of the new lawsuits allege Watson “assaulted and harassed” the women by “exposing himself” or “touching (them) with his penis.”
One of them additionally alleges Watson tried to make the accuser perform oral sex on him.
All seven lawsuits allege the women were contacted by Watson via Instagram.
Houston police posted a statement on Twitter on Friday that said no incident reports have been filed in its jurisdiction and the department “is unaware of any contact between HPD and Houston attorney Tony Buzbee regarding the allegations contained in his recently filed lawsuits.”
On Saturday, Buzbee posted on Instagram, “Our team will be submitting affidavits and evidence from several women, who had experiences with Deshaun Watson, to the Houston Police Department (HPD) and the Houston District Attorney, on Monday morning. We will request that a grand jury be empaneled to consider the evidence we provide.”
Houston Police spokesperson Jodi Silva told CNN Monday she couldn’t say whether anything had been turned over to HPD, and she wasn’t aware of anyone from HPD speaking with Buzbee or Watson.
The Houston DA’s office did not respond to CNN’s request for comment.
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