There have been major developments surrounding the 24 sexual misconduct lawsuits involving Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson. According to attorney Tony Buzbee, who is representing the women who’ve filed the suits, Watson has now settled 20 of the lawsuits leaving four that have yet to be settled.
Since March 16, 25 lawsuits have been filed against Watson, which accused him of sexual misconduct and harassment during massage sessions, however, one of the lawsuits was dropped due to discrepancies within her petition. Now 20 of the remaining suits have been settled with the paperwork still to be filed. “We are working through the paperwork related to those settlements. Once we have done so, those particular cases will be dismissed. The terms and amounts of the settlements are confidential. We won’t comment further on the settlements or those cases,” Buzbee said.
The NFL is currently deciding on whether or not Watson will be suspended. NFL Spokesman Brian McCarthy said these settlements haven’t changed anything, “today’s development has no impact on the collectively bargained disciplinary process,” he said.
Of the four lawsuits that have yet to be settled, one of them includes Ashley Solis‘s suit. Solis was the first woman to come out publicly as a plaintiff against Watson. Buzbee acknowledged her specific case and highlighted her mistreatment from Watson’s team during the case.
“The cases against Deshaun Watson started with one phone call, from one brave and strong woman. That woman was Ashley Solis,” he said. “At the time of that call, she was just one of the hundreds of calls seeking legal assistance that our firm gets weekly. Even though she was originally turned away by our screening process, my staff insisted that I personally speak with her. I’m glad she persisted. Once we took a second look, and after having contact with Watson’s original lawyer who disrespected Ashley and her profession and who arrogantly minimized the conduct of someone he referred to as an “asset,” I was convinced that our law firm should try to help her. As a result of Ashley’s lone but brave voice, soon many women who had allegedly experienced the same conduct were emboldened to step forward.”
The settlements come as a surprise since Watson and his attorney Rusty Hardin have been adamant about not making any settlement agreements and focusing on clearing Watson’s name. “I’ve been honest and I’ve been truthful about my stance,” he said. “I never forced on anyone and I never assaulted anyone. That’s what I’ve been saying since the beginning and I’ll continue to do that until all the facts come out,” Watson said in May.
