A woman in Houston filed a civil lawsuit against Deshaun Watson Monday, accusing the NBA star of sexual assault and battery in October 2020, NBC Sports reports.
The woman, who’s going by “Jane Doe” in the suit, alleges that the incident occurred before a dinner date at her apartment.
According to the suit, Watson, who was with the Houston Texans at the time, met the woman at a local restaurant and suggested a date at a shopping mall.
Uncomfortable with a public outing, the woman proposed thy have dinner at her apartment instead.
Before arriving at her apartment, the woman claims the Cleveland Browns’ quarterback called and allegedly started “yelling and screaming and stating that he couldn’t find her apartment” and that he “doesn’t have the time for this.”
Once he arrived, the woman says she excused herself to the bathroom, only to return and allegedly find Watson lying “completely naked” on her bed, face down.
The lawsuit claims Watson then demanded a massage, gesturing at his buttocks and later his knees and groin.
Confused and terrified, the woman allegedly reiterated to the QB that she wasn’t a masseuse. Watson asked her what she wanted to do instead.
Before she could respond, the suit alleges Watson grabbed Jane Doe’s leg, “partially disrobed her and penetrated her vagina without consent, implicit or explicit.” The sexual assault allegedly lasted several minutes before the woman managed to escape.
Still panicking, Jane Doe quickly grabbed a heavy object from her dresser and screamed at Watson to leave. Enraged, Watson stormed out of the woman’s apartment, the suit alleges.
This lawsuit comes more than two years after Watson was suspended for 11 games due to allegations from over two dozen women of sexual assault and inappropriate conduct during massage sessions.
Although no criminal charges were filed, Watson settled 23 of 24 civil lawsuits against him in the summer of 2022.
“This is an extremely serious matter,” Tony Buzbee, the woman’s lawyer, told The Athletic in an email. “We intend to pursue this case with the same aggressiveness with which we pursued the others. We want a jury trial.”
The woman claims she didn’t come forward earlier after witnessing the intense backlash faced by other women who had made similar allegations against the NFL star.
The suit also alleges that the woman has suffered “severe mental anguish, panic attacks, depression, and anxiety” and is seeking damages of over $1 million.
The NFL and the Cleveland Browns have not yet responded to the lawsuit.
