Deshaun Watson’s lawyer is firing back today.
In a released statement, you can see lawyer Rusty Hardin speak about how a current plaintiff tried to blackmail Watson over what she called a consensual encounter.
I want to emphasize at the outset that we and Deshaun recognize that sexual assault and harassment are not only unlawful, but morally wrong. It takes courage for women to come forward to report being mistreated, particularly when they attach their names to a lawsuit. We do not take these allegations lightly.
However, fairness to the accused is equally as important.
Opposing counsel has orchestrated a circus-like atmosphere by using social media to publicize 14 “Jane Doe” lawsuits during the past seven days in a manner calculated to inflame the public and malign Deshaun’s otherwise sterling reputation.
In addition, the tactic of refusing our requests to confidentially provide the names of the plaintiffs so we can fully investigate their claims makes uncovering the truth extremely difficult. Anonymity is often necessary as a shield for victims but opposing counsel has used it as a sword to publicly humiliate Deshaun before the truth-seeking process can even begin.
I believe that any allegation that Deshaun forced a woman to commit a sexual act is completely false. And in the one case in which we have been able to identify a plaintiff, we have strong evidence showing the allegation is false.
In January of this year, a woman attempted to blackmail Deshaun by demanding $30,000 in exchange for her “indefinite silence” about what she stated was a consensual encounter.
It is our belief this woman is the plaintiff in Cause No. 2021-15613. (Please see the declaration by Bryan Burney below.) This calls into question the legitimacy of the other cases as well.
The declaration by Bryan Burney can be seen below:
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‘I told this individual that his demand to be paid for not revealing a consensual interaction between two adults was extortion. He responded, “It’s not extortion, it’s blackmail. I informed this individual that Deshaun would not be paying the $30,000 requested’
