Another woman has filed a lawsuit against Deshaun Watson, joining 22 others who accused the Cleveland Browns quarterback in 2021 civil cases of misconduct during massage sessions.
In the 23rd civil case filed Tuesday in Texas against Watson, the lawsuit alleges that the plaintiff had his first massage session with Watson during the summer of 2020 and that his “behavior worsened.” During the third and final massage, she alleges that Watson sued her, touched her between the legs, and “repeatedly asked” her to have sex with him.
According to the lawsuit, the woman changed her mind about suing Watson after watching HBO’s “Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel” last week. In this show, two other women, Ashley Solis and Kyla Hayes, who have also accused Watson of sexual misconduct, criticized the Browns for giving the quarterback a $ 230 million guaranteed contract with an NFL record after changing in March.
1 Related
“It’s like a big shit,” Solis told HBO.
Leah Graham, one of Watson’s lawyers, told HBO that Watson “doesn’t regret it because he didn’t do anything wrong.”
“In this piece, the plaintiff was surprised by the courage of the victims willing to step forward and speak and was very upset by the mistreatment and revictimization of the plaintiffs by Watson and his legal team,” the latest lawsuit states. . “But it was Watson himself who said that even now he has no regrets and has done nothing wrong, which has strengthened his decision. Watson was wrong. “
In the last lawsuit, the plaintiff also alleges that Watson’s legal defense contacted her to determine at the time whether she was among those who filed civil lawsuits against the marshal. The lawsuit alleges that Watson’s lawyer tried to “intimidate” her at the meeting.
Rusty Hardin, who also represents Watson, said in a statement Tuesday that her client “vehemently denies allegations” of sexual misconduct “as she has done since she first spoke to members of our signed in March last year “. Harden also denied the woman’s allegation of intimidating a lawyer when the parties previously met.
Two grand jurors in Texas have refused to file criminal charges against Watson, who has denied all charges. The NFL is investigating whether Watson violated his code of conduct policy and interviewed the quarterback in person two weeks ago as part of his investigation.
At the league’s spring meeting in Atlanta, Commissioner Roger Goodell said he believes the NFL is nearing the end of its investigation, but that it could not provide a timeline for when a decision could be made.
The Browns did not immediately comment on the latest lawsuit. Tony Buzbee, the lawyer for the 23 plaintiffs, said “other cases may come against” Watson.
“Watson’s defense team has vilified these women and this cause,” she said in a statement. “Shame on you! We look forward to hearing this case in court.”