Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson and his attorney, Rusty Hardin, have won some recent rulings in the multiple sexual assault cases the star is facing in civil court stemming from over 20 women accusing him of inappropriate behavior.
A recent ruling noted that a majority of the women alleging wrongdoing on Watson’s part must be identified in order for the quarterback’s legal team to defend him in civil court.
We now have some more information on this story from Mr. Hardin himself. According to NFL Media’s Tom Pelissero, one of the accusers has dropped her civil suit. Hardin goes on to note that they believe they have the names for 20 of the 22 women accusing Deshaun Watson.
This also comes as the attorney for the accusers released a statement earlier on Tuesday indicating that the 22 women would all identify themselves.
“The Watson team thinks that if these courageous women are forced to identify themselves, they would slink away and not pursue this matter. Watson & his counsel badly miscalculated,” Tony Buzbee said in a statement.
All of this comes at a time when the NFL is investigating Deshaun Watson under the guise of the league’s personal conduct policy. Meanwhile, the Houston Police Department has also opened up a criminal investigation into the matter.
As the legal situation plays out, there’s a growing belief around the NFL that Watson is facing a suspension from the league. Having requested a trade from the Texans earlier in the offseason, Watson’s trade value has also reportedly cratered.