16th sexual misconduct lawsuit filed against Deshaun Watson
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Two more women on Tuesday made sexual-misconduct allegations against Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson, who has now been accused of lewd behavior in 16 lawsuits.
The latest civil actions, filed in Harris County District Court in Texas, involve a personal trainer and a woman who specializes in body contouring and skin tightening.
The trainer accused Watson of exposing himself and "ejaculating onto her" during a session at his Houston home May 28, according to her lawsuit.
Watson allegedly hired the other woman for a massage Oct. 8, her civil complaint said. He's accused of exposing himself and asking the woman to "touch him."
Late Monday, a Los Angeles massage therapist accused Watson of exposing himself before allegedly forcing her to "pleasure him," the civil complaint said.
All 16 lawsuits were filed by attorney Anthony Buzbee, who said his investigators were vetting allegations that could lead to at least two dozen lawsuits against Watson.
Watson led the league in passing last season and is demanding to be traded from the Texans. His 2021 destination has been the talk of the NFL off-season.
The quarterback's defense attorney, Rusty Hardin, said in a statement Tuesday that Buzbee had "orchestrated a circus-like atmosphere by using social media to publicize" lawsuits which are a calculated effort to "inflame the public and malign Deshaun’s otherwise sterling reputation."
"I believe that any allegation that Deshaun forced a woman to commit a sexual act is completely false," Hardin added.
The defense lawyer said at least one of the plaintiffs "attempted to blackmail Deshaun by demanding $30,000 in exchange for her 'indefinite silence' about what she stated was a consensual encounter."
All of the plaintiffs have filed their lawsuits as "Jane Doe," which Hardin claimed is unfairly being used "as a sword to publicly humiliate Deshaun before the truth-seeking process can even begin.”
After the first lawsuit was filed, Watson said in a statement last week that he was being wrongly targeted by a "publicity-seeking" lawyer.
"I have never treated any woman with anything other than the utmost respect," he said.
