Lawsuit accuses Watson of sexual assault in '20

A brand new civil lawsuit filed in Houston on Monday accuses Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson of sexual assault and battery in October 2020, when he was a member of the Houston Texans.

In accordance with the lawsuit, the alleged actions occurred earlier than Watson and a lady, who goes by the pseudonym “Jane Doe” within the courtroom submitting, had been set to have dinner on the lady’s house.

The lawsuit states that Watson met the lady, a single mom, at a Houston restaurant and bar, managed to get her cellphone quantity and initially tried to have her meet him on the Houston Galleria for a date. Reluctant to fulfill Watson in public, the lady as a substitute agreed to a dinner date at her house, in response to the lawsuit.

On the night of the date, in response to the lawsuit, she mentioned Watson had bother discovering her house and commenced aggressively yelling and screaming at her on the cellphone, saying he did not “have time for this.”

The lawsuit alleges that, whereas making use of make-up in her lavatory, the lady then discovered Watson “utterly bare on her mattress, mendacity face down on his abdomen.” Watson then requested the lady therapeutic massage his buttocks and the lady “tried to appease Watson by rubbing his again, slightly than his buttocks,” in response to the lawsuit.

Watson then turned over and “continued to demand that Jane Doe therapeutic massage him, gesturing from his knees to his groin,” in response to the lawsuit. The girl informed Watson that she was not a masseuse, to which Watson requested her what she wished to do as a substitute, the go well with alleges.

Earlier than the lady may reply, Watson “partially disrobed Jane Doe and penetrated her vagina with out consent, implicit or specific,” in response to the lawsuit, which additionally alleges that Watson sexually assaulted the lady for a number of minutes earlier than she escaped and grabbed a heavy piece of decor for self-defense. Watson then “stormed out of Jane Doe’s house,” in response to the lawsuit.

The NFL declined remark. A spokesperson for the Browns didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.

Watson, 28, served an 11-game suspension in 2022 after greater than two dozen ladies accused him of sexual assault and inappropriate conduct throughout therapeutic massage periods. A pair of Texas grand juries declined to pursue felony prices in opposition to Watson, however he served his suspension after the NFL and the NFL Gamers Affiliation reached a settlement in his disciplinary matter.

Watson additionally needed to pay a high-quality of $5 million and bear obligatory analysis by behavioral specialists and comply with their recommended therapy program earlier than being reinstated by the league.

The lawsuit filed Monday is unrelated to the lone civil go well with stemming from the ladies who accused Watson of sexual misconduct throughout therapeutic massage periods. Nonetheless, the identical legal professional, Tony Buzbee, is representing the newest lady to sue Watson.

Watson settled 23 of the 24 civil lawsuits filed in opposition to him in the summertime of 2022.

In March 2022, the Browns traded six draft picks, together with three first-round picks, for Watson and gave him a totally assured $230 million deal, which was an NFL document on the time.

Suspension and accidents have restricted Watson to simply 13 begins with Cleveland, which features a 33-17 loss to the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday — his first sport since present process season-ending shoulder surgical procedure final November. Watson accomplished 24 of 45 passes for 169 yards, 1 landing and a couple of interceptions within the loss.

ESPN’s John Barr contributed to this report.