HOUSTON – Twenty women who filed lawsuits for alleged inappropriate conduct and sexual assault against Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson have changed their petitions to reveal their names.
Another lawsuit is expected to resume on Thursday, after an emergency hearing was canceled on Wednesday.
According to court documents, one of the 22 original lawsuits was “provisionally” dropped by a plaintiff.
“In the light of privacy and security considerations, Plaintiff has decided not to pursue her case for the time being,” the document said. “Plaintiff reserves the right to resubmit this case once such concerns have been resolved.”
On Friday, two judges ruled that most of the plaintiffs suing Watson must identify themselves. The rulings from two hearings on Friday covered 13 of the 22 lawsuits filed against Watson, while the lawyers also agreed to release a 14th name later in the day. Before Friday, only two women had been publicly identified. Another emergency hearing to determine whether the remaining lawsuits should be changed was scheduled for Wednesday, but was canceled shortly before it was due to begin.
Prosecutors’ attorney Tony Buzbee said in a statement Tuesday that his law firm “has previously attempted to make the names of the prosecutors indicting Deshaun Watson available to counsel, and that he intends to do so in due course. “.
“We were concerned about the safety of these prosecutors and asked the Watson team to agree to a protection order whereby the identities could be used in lawsuits but not broadcast to the world,” Buzbee’s statement continued.
In a statement last week, Watson’s attorney Rusty Hardin said that when his law firm asked Buzbee “weeks ago to identify his clients, he declined and told us to file a motion.”
“While I understand that anonymity is often used as a shield for victims, Mr. Buzbee uses it like a sword,” Hardin said in a statement Thursday. While protecting his clients from public scrutiny, Mr. Buzbee continues to use their anonymous allegations to destroy Mr. Watson. This is simply not correct. And we look forward to resolving these cases in court. ‘