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New lawsuit labels NFL star a "serial predator;" Deshaun Watson now facing 16 lawsuits

3 years 7 months 1 week ago Wednesday, March 24 2021 Mar 24, 2021 March 24, 2021 11:06 AM March 24, 2021 in News
Source: CNN
Deshaun Watson

A total of sixteen lawsuits now filed against him, Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson has been labeled a "serial predator" by the most recent suit, which was filed in Harris County, Texas on Tuesday (March 23).

According to CNN, the document mirrors a second lawsuit that was also filed on Tuesday. Both suits claim Watson assaulted women while he was receiving professional massages in May and October of 2020.

The news outlet says the lawsuit filed earlier this week stated, "Watson's behavior is part of a disturbing pattern," before adding, "Plaintiff believes Watson to be a serial predator."

This is the first time any of the sixteen lawsuits filed against the athlete label him a "serial predator."

CNN notes that in addition to the two suits filed Tuesday, seven lawsuits were also filed in Harris County on Monday and another seven were filed last week. All of documents were submitted by attorney Tony Buzbee, who is representing the women.

Watson, meanwhile, continues to deny all allegations of sexual misconduct. The 25-year-old's attorney, Rusty Hardin, said 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.

Hardin continued, "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.

Hardin added 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 lawsuits filed Monday describe alleged incidents that victims say occurred between April 2020 and March 2021 in Houston, Atlanta, and Beverly Hills.

The lawsuits filed Monday all allege Watson "assaulted and harassed" the women by "exposing himself" or touching them with his genitals.

All seven lawsuits allege the women were contacted by Watson via Instagram.

On Friday, Houston police confirmed via Twitter that no incident reports had 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."

According to CNN, Houston Police spokesperson Jodi Silva told reporters on Monday that she couldn't say whether anything had been turned over to their police department, and that she was not aware of anyone from the department speaking with either Buzbee or Watson.

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