HARRIS COUNTY, Texas — The legal team representing Browns QB Deshaun Watson has filed a motion in Texas District Court to have the identity of an accuser who filed suit against him for allegedly pressuring her into a sex act during a message therapy session.
The lawsuit was filed last week on behalf of the plaintiff, who is listed as "Jane Doe" in court documents. Doe is a licensed massage therapist. Her suit alleges Watson sought out sex-related acts during a massage therapy appointment that occurred on Dec. 18, 2020.
The woman claims Watson reached out to set up an appointment via Instagram and as a "small business owner" she was actively trying to grow her business and expand her client base, the lawsuit says. Watson is accused of trying to have sex with the woman, and when she refused, the woman claims he was able to "pressure her into oral sex," before paying her $300 for her services despite her $115-an-hour rate.
According to court records, Watson's attorneys requested that the woman's identity be revealed after the her was lawsuit filed. Watson's legal team then filed a Motion for Special Exception to Plaintiff’s Original Petition, Motion for Emergency Hearing and a Motion for Sanctions.
Watson's attorneys said in court documents, "While hiding behind this unlawful anonymity, plaintiff’s counsel has made every effort to try this case in the court of public opinion rather than in a court of law. She has provided multiple on-camera interviews regarding the allegations made in this case and given substantive comments to multiple independent news agencies covering the lawsuit. Put simply, plaintiff’s counsel is wielding anonymity as a sword instead of a shield."
His attorneys go on to state that the "only way for Mr. Watson to properly defend himself is for the Court to follow the law by requiring Ms. Doe to identify herself in her civil lawsuit."
Watson's attorneys said that according to Texas law, use of a pseudonym is not permitted when filing a civil lawsuit, unless done so by a minor, and by doing so, she violated civil procedures set forth by the state.
"Due to plaintiff’s counsel’s refusal to identify for Mr. Watson’s counsel the real name of Ms. Doe, Mr. Watson’s counsel cannot fully evaluate or plead his defenses to her claims," his attorney's said in the motion.
Watson and his legal representatives have asked the court to sanction the suit by requiring Doe's real name in order for the process to move forward. The motion also requests that Doe's attorneys cover the cost of Watson's legal fees in preparation of his motions.
Doe's attorney pushed back in a special exception petition to Watson's motion, stating that "case law supports plaintiff’s right to plead anonymously and a continuation of anonymous filing is within the court’s discretion."
Her attorney further stated that "because Mr. Watson is such a high-profile person and media outlets have wasted no time reporting about the new anonymous claim filed against him, plaintiff has ample reason to be concerned about revealing her name in public court records."
The attorney for Doe has asked the court to deny Watson's motions and allow her client to proceed with an anonymous name.
The presiding judge ruled on Oct. 15. that Watson's motions were sustained.
"The special exceptions are hereby SUSTAINED. Plaintiff shall amend her pleading to include her true name within two days of the date that this Order is signed. Failure to do so will result in dismissal. The motion for sanctions is hereby GRANTED," the judge wrote. "The Court finds that plaintiff’s counsel’s failure to include plaintiff’s name in the lawsuit was done in lacked a basis in fact or law. Within two days of the date this date this order is signed, defendant’s counsel shall provide evidence of the fees incurred in preparing and presenting the special exceptions to the Court, and sanctions in this amount will be ordered against plaintiff’s counsel."
You can watch more about this most recent lawsuit in the player below:
Download the News 5 Cleveland app now for more stories from us, plus alerts on major news, the latest weather forecast, traffic information and much more. Download now on your Apple device here, and your Android device here.
You can also catch News 5 Cleveland on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, YouTube TV, DIRECTV NOW, Hulu Live and more. We're also on Amazon Alexa devices. Learn more about our streaming options here.
