cleveland browns Quarterback Deshaun Watson has been sued again for alleged sexual misconduct during a massage session, this time by a licensed massage therapist who said he pressured her into oral sex at The Houston Hotel in Houston in December 2020.
The lawsuit was filed Thursday in Harris County, Texas, by a woman going by the pseudonym Jane Doe. She is the 25th woman to file a lawsuit and file similar misconduct lawsuits against Watson in civil court. But it is the first since the NFL. Watson suspended for 11 games after investigating the allegations.
It is also the first lawsuit brought by a lawyer from different plaintiffs. Aside from Tony Buzzbee. Of the 24 previous demands, 23 have come undisclosed settlement agreementsaccording to Buzbee, with only one remaining active before the new Thursday was introduced.
The new lawsuit outlines a narrative similar to the others, but it’s unclear if it will have anything to do with his suspension, as it occurred during the same time frame as the other meetings from 2020 to early 2021, when Watson played for the houston texans.
SPORTS NEWSLETTER:Get the latest news and analysis delivered to your inbox
Follow all the matches: live NFL scores
Like many of the other lawsuits, the new one says that Watson contacted the woman on Instagram. She met him at the hotel, where he also met plaintiffs in some other cases. After taking off his clothes in the bathroom, the suit said he came out wearing only a towel and then pressured the woman to massage her private area.
“At some point during the massage, Watson removed his towel and offered to let her ‘climb on top,'” the new lawsuit says. “Plaintiff refused to have sex with Watson, however he was able to pressure her into having oral sex.”
She says Watson paid her $300 for her services, though her normal charge is $115 for an hour of massage. She is seeking damages for her claims of civil battery and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
The lawsuit states that Watson caused her to “experience mental suffering by forcing her to engage in sexual acts against her will.”
watson has denied such accusations since the first lawsuit was filed in March 2021. The 25 lawsuits do not include another lawsuit that was filed in March 2021 but was later abandoned by that plaintiff in April 2021.
Watson’s attorney, Rusty Hardin, declined to comment. Shortly after the first cases were filed last year, he said his client couldn’t adequately defend herself if he didn’t know the women’s names. Like the woman in this new case, those women initially used pseudonyms. But Hardin won that argument last year, and those women later added their names to their claims.
The woman’s attorney, Anissah Nguyen, released a statement Thursday night to USA TODAY Sports.
“Like so many others, my client spent nearly two years struggling to cope with the trauma of all that was stolen from her and the daily pain that has become her reality,” said Nguyen of Universal Law Group in Houston.
“Learning about her story will lead to difficult conversations, criticism and even victim blaming. The strength and bravery of these other women gave my client the courage to stand up and speak out. She is seeking justice not just for herself and her own healing, but for the more than 20 women who refused to be shamed and silenced, and the victims who have not yet come forward.”
Nguyen also said that they will look to take Watson’s deposition before the end of the year.
Watson is eligible for reinstatement to the NFL on November 28. The league did not immediately return a message seeking comment on the new lawsuit. He had tried to suspend him for at least a year, but finally reached an agreement to suspend him 11 games and fine him $5 million.
The Texans, Watson’s former team, also reached Confidential settlements with 30 women with Watson-related claims after being accused of allowing his behavior and failing to prevent it.
Follow reporter Brent Schrotenboer @Schrotenboer. Email: bschrotenb@usatoday.com