With the number of lawsuits against Deshaun Watson reaching 16, the Houston Texans QB has a ton of issues with trying to prove his innocent with each and every one of them.
Yahoo’s Dan Wetzel recently sent out a piece that outlines one of the lawsuits filed this past Tuesday “could prove to be the most problematic” for the Texans QB.
“It includes a potential criminal act, possible physical evidence and multiple counts of contemporaneous reporting that experts say is critical in these kinds of situations. It also mirrors many of the other allegations and potentially bolsters them due to the date of the act and the woman’s real-time reporting.
“This is clearly the one with the most credibility to it and clearly the one that could present criminal problems for Watson,” said Craig Mordock, a New Orleans-based attorney who frequently handles sexual assault defense and has also represented victims of sexual assault in civil and criminal matters.”
In May of 2020, Jane Doe 15 said Watson contacted her via Instagram seeking a massage that would focus on his “‘groin area’, his ‘glutes’ and his ‘lower abdominals.’ ”
She was in shock that a famous athlete would seek her out as she informed him that she was a licensed personal trainer, not a massage therapist.
Doe 15 alleged in her lawsuit that when Watson “eventually flipped over onto his back, the towel fell off [and] … Watson was completely naked and exposed his penis to the Plaintiff. Watson also moved his penis onto Plaintiff’s hand. Watson had pre-ejaculate leaking out of his penis, which got onto Plaintiff’s hand. Plaintiff felt like she wanted to vomit.”
The report continues:
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“Watson’s actions are a potential violation of 22.012 of the Texas penal code — indecent assault — which is punishable for up to one year in prison or a fine of $4,000.
“If what happened is as it’s described in the lawsuit, then it is absolutely indecent assault,” Mordock said.
Watson could face more serious felony sexual assault charges based on the allegations by Jane Doe No. 3 and No. 9 concerning forced oral sex, however those civil lawsuits do not indicate a level of contemporaneous reporting that Jane Doe 15 does.
“When Plaintiff got home that day,” the lawsuit reads, “Plaintiff immediately called her mom and her best friend to tell them what happened and said she was traumatized … Plaintiff also received a text message from Watson that same day asking her if she was OK. Plaintiff did not respond. For weeks afterwards, Watson repeatedly contacted Plaintiff asking if he could book her again. Plaintiff either ignored the requests or said she was too busy.”
The accuser telling other people about the encounter the same day “could provide significant credibility to her claim,” according to the report.
“That is a contemporaneous report,” Mordock said. “It is the key to these cases. It signals that the alleged victim in the matter knew that it was severe enough that she had to tell someone right away. They knew something was wrong right away.
“Then you have him following up asking if she is OK?” Mordock continued. “That is not a particularly good fact for Watson. And then she refuses to engage with him.”
