A judge in Harris County (Texas) District Court ruled Monday that the latest plaintiff suing Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson for sexual misconduct must shed her Jane Doe pseudonym and reveal her name.
The plaintiff has 24 hours to comply with the order and amend her petition, per Judge Rabeea Sultan Collier’s ruling in an emergency hearing.
The new accuser, a massage therapist, claims Watson pressured her into a sex act during a massage session in December 2020. Unlike Watson’s previous accusers, she is not represented by attorney Tony Buzbee.
“It’s taken her some time to come forward,” attorney Anissah Nguyen told Fox 8 WJW in Cleveland. “She’s doing it for herself and other women who have been victimized by Deshaun Watson. She knows that by speaking out she is going to have to deal with the hard conversations.”
Per ESPN Monday, another attorney for Jane Doe, Michelle Kornblith, said she was willing to provide Watson’s camp with her client’s name but not make it public.
When Watson was facing the bulk of his lawsuits in 2021, two judges ruled that the plaintiffs must amend their petitions to include their names for the case to proceed. Twenty-two complied and one dropped her suit.
Watson is currently serving an 11-game suspension for off-field conduct violations related to “predatory” behavior involving more than two dozen women who alleged sexual assault and other inappropriate behavior. He was also assessed a $5 million fine.
Watson settled 23 of 24 lawsuits against him during the summer.
–Field Level Media