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On Thursday afternoon, we had our latest court proceedings in the ongoing saga of Deshaun Watson facing off with 22 civil lawsuit plaintiffs, all females with various job titles and certifications within the massage therapy industry. While, on paper, there was nothing of substance really occurring (Rusty Hardin s exact words, more on that in a minute), this was a pretty significant day, for a few reasons.
Let s do a quick synopsis of what happened on Thursday in the 113th State District Court:
First, this was the first time the two super-attorneys have been together, in person, since the lawsuits were filed
On Monday, we had our most significant declaration from the defense side of the Deshaun Watson legal soap opera, with Rusty Hardin filing a seven page response to the allegations of the 22 plaintiffs suing the Houston Texans quarterback. This was followed up by a statement from Hardin in which he emphatically asserted that all 22 plaintiffs are lying when they accuse Watson of varying degrees of sexual misconduct.
For his part, plaintiffs attorney, Tony Buzbee, replied with a statement of his own, reiterating for the umpteenth time that Watson s actions with these women were not consensual and that he (and by extension, Hardin) are not telling the truth. The defense s version of the truth is outlined in their response document, which was a clear indicator that Hardin and his team have been working night and day to talk to witnesses, loved ones, and people close to the plaintiffs to try to unearth information that favors Watson.
Ashley Solis - Case No. 15324
The first lawsuit by Ashley Solis accuses Watson of civil assault during a massage at her home last March.
According to the lawsuit, Watson repeatedly asked her to focus on his groin area. She said he “purposely” exposed himself and “purposely” touched her with his penis.
Solis said she abruptly ended the massage and Watson later apologized.
Watson response: Ashley Solis claimed that she was not filing suit for monetary reasons but rather because “[t]his is about having [her] voice heard. It is about having other survivor’s voices heard.” Belying her assertion though, Ms. Solis would have abandoned her voice and being the voice of other alleged “survivors” if Mr. Watson would agree to pay her $100,000, Hardin said.
Rusty Hardin Fires Back at Deshaun Watson s 22 Accusers houstonpress.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from houstonpress.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.