HOUSTON – A new lawsuit filed Monday afternoon in Harris County accused former Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson of sexually assaulting a Houston-area woman in October 2020.
That woman is now suing him for at least a million dollars and is represented by Tony Buzbee’s law firm.
The lawsuit says she and Watson met at a bar in the Galleria area in July of 2020. One of his friends approached her and said Watson wanted her phone number. Flattered, she gave it to the friend and the woman and Watson texted off and on for several months.
In October of 2020, Watson asked the woman to meet him at the Galleria. She turned him down because she was hesitant to be seen with him publicly, and invited him to her apartment for dinner. She “knew nothing of Watson’s proclivities” the lawsuit states.
When he came to her apartment for their date, he called the woman “aggressively yelling and screaming” because he couldn’t find her apartment and “doesn’t have time for this.”
Watson arrived and the woman asked him to have a seat in her living room while she finished putting her makeup on. To ease the tension from his “angry outburst” she tried having a conversation with him while he was in the other room, but he wasn’t responding.
She walked out of the bathroom to see why he was being so quiet and “shockingly found him completely naked on her bed, lying face-down on his stomach,” according to the lawsuit.
Watson “aggressively” insisted she massage him, gesturing to his buttocks. She asked if he meant his back, but says Watson indicated it was his buttocks he wanted massaged. She rubbed his back because she was “at this point in the encounter terrified,” according to the suit.
Watson wanted her to rub his glutes and frustrated that she would only rub his back, “Watson then turned over, revealing an erection,” demanding then that she massage him from his knees to his groin.
“Jane Doe froze in fear, unsure of how to refuse Watson’s advances without jeopardizing her safety. Confused and scared, she reiterated to Watson that she wasn’t a masseuse.”
Watson asked what she wanted to do instead and before she could answer he grabbed her and raped her, the lawsuit states.
She felt paralyzed and wasn’t sure if she should risk her safety by trying to stop him, but did get away from him and ran to her dresser to grab a heavy piece of decor to defend herself and yelled at him to get out of her apartment. She said he was enraged when he left.
According to the lawsuit, the woman was reluctant initially to come forward because she knew he was a local celebrity and worried that if she reported what happened she’d be humiliated and publicly attacked.
“Later she watched as other women came forward, she was encouraged and was ready to come forward as well. But, she saw how those women who had suffered through the same conduct with Watson and who came forward were treated by Watson’s defense team and the public; this was discouraging to Jane Doe,” according to the lawsuit.
She did eventually approach Watson to resolve the issues without filing a lawsuit, but those efforts failed.
This is the first lawsuit against Watson in which he is specifically accused of sexual assault. Previously, Watson was accused in nearly two dozen lawsuits filed by massage therapists of harassing, assaulting or touching them during appointments when he played for the Houston Texans. In June of 2022, Tony Buzbee announced 20 of those 24 lawsuits had been settled.
In July of 2022, 30 women who had accused the Texans of turning a blind eye to allegations against their former star quarterback settled their claims against the team.
All of those allegations impacted Watson’s career. He didn’t see a single play during the 2021 season. In the spring of 2022, Watson was traded to the Cleveland Browns. An NFL investigation into the accusations got him suspended for 11 games with the Browns and the league fined him $5 million for violating the NFL’s personal-conduct policy, according to NFL.com.
To date, he has not been arrested or charged with a crime.
Watson has long denied any wrongdoing and two separate Texas grand juries declined to indict him.
The woman in the new lawsuit filed Monday said she suffered severe mental anguish, has panic attacks, experiences nervous breakdowns and has a hard time sleeping. She has also suffered from depression and anxiety.
“Survivors of sexual assault want two things. They want to heal from their trauma, and they want accountability,” Houston trauma therapist Chau Nguyen said. “She finally has the courage to say something and sometimes it takes years before you can seek that kind of justice.”
She is asking for actual and punitive damages, some of which have no monetary cap but at the very least would be one million dollars, according to the suit.
She’s also asking for a jury trial and for Watson to pay all legal expenses.
When reached by KPRC 2 regarding the litigation, a league spokesman said they are aware of the legal matter and have no comment at this time.
RELATED STORIES:
2023: Deshaun Watson moving forward heading into his first full season since his suspension
2022: A rusty Deshaun Watson booed relentlessly in debut for Browns, still earns victory over Texans
2022: Deshaun Watson accusers expected to attend Texans-Browns game in Houston on Sunday
2022: NFL says Deshaun Watson status unchanged despite new lawsuit
2022: Deshaun Watson facing new lawsuit claiming sexual misconduct