Editor’s note: This story contains stories of sexual assault. If you or someone you know is a survivor of a sexual assault, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-4673 or at https://www.rainn.org.
A new lawsuit has been filed against Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson, making it the 23rd active civil lawsuit.
Plaintiff Nia Smith was one of the first women contacted by the NFL star’s legal team when the first lawsuits were filed last year, according to the original petition filed on the site. Harris County District Secretary’s website. The lawsuit describes that “in an effort to intimidate her,” one of Watson’s attorneys told the plaintiff “that they were going to fight the cases to the fullest. He also insisted that black women should be together.”
The plaintiff was not one of the first women to file a lawsuit against Watson, and according to the filing, her legal team tried to persuade her to say positive things about Watson once they determined she was not one of the Jane Does.
According to the documents, HBO’s Real Sports segment on the quarterback changed its mind about filing a lawsuit, including Watson’s comment about “not regretting.”
The plaintiff allegedly had three different encounters with Watson in 2020: on June 7, August 24, and “in late August or early September.” The file detailed how “the quarterback’s behavior got worse during each massage.”
Similar to several of the other civil lawsuits, the plaintiff was contacted via Instagram, according to the lawsuit, and had not previously worked with any Texan athlete. He was 21 when the massages were done, and during the first massage on June 7, the quarterback “kept demanding the plaintiff get inside his anus,” according to the lawsuit.
He allegedly said, “Don’t be afraid to come in,” which the plaintiff “wasn’t going to do.”
The plaintiff reported what happened to her head, but according to the record, Smith “did not take offense and decided to give Watson the benefit of the doubt, as he thought he might be ashamed and ashamed of this fetish.”
Watson contacted Smith again in August by text message for another massage and allegedly said he did not want his boss to be present. Also, Watson allegedly asked her to wear a sun suit, which Smith ignored. According to the record, his behavior increased from the previous session, including grabbing Smith’s buttocks and “asking the plaintiff if he wanted his cock in his mouth” repeatedly. The petition also states that she “felt trapped.”
He decided after the second massage session, which he says was over soon, to avoid the quarterback; however, he returned for a third massage. At the request, she allegedly told Watson that she would leave the room for him to undress and go under the curtain, but he refused and undressed in front of her.
“When the plaintiff tried to massage his legs, Watson became aggressive and demanded that he only massage his buttocks and massage this area. He repeatedly asked the plaintiff to have sex with him.” , telling her there was a condom in her bag, according to the request. He proceeded to touch her between his legs, forcing her to massage from a distance away from him to avoid being palpated. After this incident, Smith quit his job, according to the presentation.
The petition stated that “A New U Salon Spa provided women for Watson. Dionne Louis, the owner of the spa, provided massages to Watson and knew that Watson was trying to have sex with them. Cash application and text messages included in petition documents, “Watson paid Dionne Louis at least $ 5,000 for Louis’ work.”
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Watson’s attorney, Rusty Hardin, issued the following statement, saying the quarterback “vehemently denies the allegations.” He added that “two highly respected lawyers in our firm, Letitia Quinones and Rachel Lewis, also vehemently deny that there was coercion or intimidation” when they met with the plaintiff.
The Browns quarterback faces 22 other active civil lawsuits filed by massage therapists, each of which details graphic accounts of sexual harassment and sexual assault that occurred during massage sessions. Accounts range from Watson allegedly refusing to cover his genitals to quarterback “touching [a plaintiff] with his penis and trying to force her to have oral sex. “During his introductory press conference with the Browns, Watson denied assaulting, harassing, or disrespecting any woman.
Two plaintiffs, Ashley Solis and Kyla Hayes, gave their first national television interviews on HBO’s Real Sports With Bryant Gumbel, which aired last Tuesday. In the interview with Soledad O’Brien, they both detailed their accounts with Watson. In addition, one of Watson’s attorneys, Leah Graham, spoke with O’Brien.
At one point, O’Brien pointed out to Graham that Watson had previously said he “did not regret” and then asked if it was still true.
“As he stated in his statements last week, yes, he doesn’t regret it because he didn’t do anything wrong,” Graham said. “He did nothing wrong with these massages. And yet, in your first question, ‘How can he be innocent?’ I think the real question is, ‘What evidence is there of guilt?’ ”
Watson has previously faced multiple criminal charges; however, he does not face charges after two separate grand jury hearings. On March 11, a Harris County grand jury returned nine “no” decisions on nine criminal charges against Watson. A Harris County prosecutor said the decision ended criminal proceedings against him in that county, and Watson was released shortly thereafter. A grand jury in Brazoria County refused to charge Watson on a 10th charge on March 24.
Rusty Hardin, Watson’s attorney, posted a video statement before the interview aired, saying in part, “No one really wanted to deal much with the fact that two different grand jurors found that there were no events. The grand jury decides the probable cause: there is some basis for believing that a crime has been committed, either a felony or a misdemeanor, and these two grand jurors found no probable cause to believe that committed no crime.
“This should have been very influential because there were originally allegations, he used force against these women. It turns out that only three of the 22 lawsuits involve no allegations of force and then when they were investigated by part of the law enforcement and presented to a grand jury, it was found that force was not used. There was no evidence of a crime with any kind of force. “
While civil lawsuits are still pending, Cleveland traded Watson in March and signed him with a five-year, $ 230 million guaranteed contract. Solís said in the interview that “you are like a big screw. That’s what it feels like. That we don’t care. He can run and throw, and that’s what matters to us. ”
Hayes said he “felt like he was being rewarded for his bad behavior.”
As for the league’s investigation, Commissioner Roger Goodell revealed last Tuesday that the league is “nearing the end of the investigation” into Watson. However, no timetable was provided as to when a resolution would be issued by the disciplinary officer.
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