All of the women suing Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson for sexual misconduct have agreed to reveal their identities after two Harris County (Texas) judges ordered 13 of the Jane Does to publicly disclose their names last week.
Their attorney, Tony Buzbee, announced the decision in a statement on Tuesday night, saying that his firm will amend all of the lawsuits to include the names of plaintiffs – ‘even those not currently subject to any court order.’
As of Wednesday morning, 11 of those lawsuits have been amended to include the names of the plaintiffs. Two of those women, Ashley Solis and Lauren Baxley, identified themselves last week with Solis speaking out publicly at a press conference.
Watson has denied the accusations, but in a press conference last week, his attorney Rusty Hardin did acknowledge that his client engaged in consensual sexual encounters with massage therapists.
Hardin also told NFL Network on Tuesday that one of the women has dropped her lawsuit.
The plaintiffs, most of who work as massage therapists or in other similar professions, filed separate lawsuits as Jane Does between March 16 and April 2, claiming that Watson exposed himself, attempted to coerce them into sex, and in some cases, touched them with his penis during private sessions. Two of the women also sued for sexual assault, claiming Watson forced them to perform oral sex on him.
Buzbee had been reluctant to reveal the plaintiffs’ identifies over concerns for their safety, but according to his statement on Tuesday, his firm always intended to disclose their names to the court.
‘[The Buzbee Law Firm] previously attempted to make available to Defense Counsel the names of the plaintiffs suing Deshaun Watson, and intended to do so in due course,’ read Buzbee’s statement.
‘We were concerned about the safety of these plaintiffs, and asked the Watson team to agree to a protective order where the identities could be used in litigation, but not broadcast to the world,’ the statement continued.
Buzbee has submitted evidence of threats that were sent to Solis over social media, email, and text messages.
‘Ur a b**** for suing Deshaun,’ read one message. ‘We both know he didn’t do s*** to u… I hope u get raped later in ur life.’
Despite Buzbee’s insistence that he intended to reveal the plaintiffs’ names to the court, Hardin said in a statement last week that the accusers’ attorney actually refused to do so.
‘While I understand that anonymity often is used as a shield for victims, Mr. Buzbee is using it as a sword,’ Hardin said in a statement on Thursday. ‘While shielding his clients from public scrutiny, Mr. Buzbee continues to use their anonymous allegations to destroy Mr. Watson. This is simply not right. And we look forward to resolving these matters in court.’
Hardin has called the claims against Watson ‘meritless’ and has alleged they were made following a failed attempt to blackmail his client for $30,000. He previously accused the plaintiffs of being motivated by financial gain, saying that Solis originally sought a $100,000 settlement from his client.
Solis responded to that accusation during her press conference last week.
‘People say I’m doing this just for money,’ Solis said. ‘That is false. I come forward now in hopes Deshaun Watson does not hurt another woman.
‘We were all deceived into thinking Deshaun Watson was a good guy, and unfortunately we know that good guys can do terrible things,’ she added.
Hardin has shared statements from 18 other female massage therapists, who say that Watson acted appropriately during their private sessions.
One of those massage therapists backed up Hardin’s claim last week, telling Houston’s KHOU that Watson behaved appropriately when he was her client.
‘Deshaun Watson has never asked me for any sexual favors,’ massage therapist Jasmine Brooks said. ‘He’s never harassed me. He’s never coerced me into anything at all. He’s always been super quiet.’
Brooks no longer works with with Watson, but said that has nothing to do with his behavior during their sessions.
Watson is not denying having sex with some of his massage therapists, but all of the encounters were consensual, according to Hardin.
Hardin did not put a number on the frequency of the sexual encounters, but did estimate his client gets between 120 and 150 professional massages a year.
‘On some occasions, some sexual activities would have taken place,’ Hardin said. ‘I’m not going into what it is or the nature or the numbers or with whom but I think you can rightfully assume that.
‘Never at any time, under any circumstances… did this young man ever engage in anything that was not mutually desired by the other party.’
According to Solis’s filing, which was obtained by DailyMail.com, Watson exposed himself during his massage in March of 2020 before adjusting his position to force his erect penis into her hand.
‘Plaintiff abruptly ended the massage and asked Watson to leave her house,’ read the filing.
Solis said she was in tears as Watson left. On his way out, she said, Watson told her: ‘I know you have a career and a reputation, and I know you would hate for someone to mess with yours, just as I don’t want anyone messing with mine.’
‘I replay the incident over and over in my head as if I’m trying to wake up for some horrible nightmare, only that nightmare is real,’ she said Tuesday.
Later, Solis said, Watson reached out via text message to apologize for the incident, but she did not respond. Buzbee has since shared that alleged text message from Watson to Solis on social media.
‘Sorry about you feeling uncomfortable,’ read the text message. ‘Never were the intensions. Lmk if you want to work in the future. My apologies.’
Nike has since suspended its endorsement deal with Watson amid the allegations. He signed with the apparel company in 2017 for an undisclosed amount.
A Nike spokesman did not respond to DailyMail.com’s question about the specifics of Watson’s suspension, like whether the company will pull ads featuring the NFL star or withhold his pay.
Meanwhile Beats by Dre, a headphone manufacturer, has dropped Watson entirely, according to Front Office Sports.
Watson, a three-time Pro Bowl selection, led the NFL in passing yards last season. he is currently signed to a four-year, $156 million deal with the Texans, but has been unhappy with the club and reportedly demanded a traded following Houston’s 4-12 campaign in 2020.
The team refused to trade him thus far.
