Judge orders woman suing Deshaun Watson to disclose name
At an emergency hearing Friday morning, a Harris County judge ruled that one of the plaintiffs suing Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson must identify herself by refiling her lawsuit with her name attached.
The original lawsuit, filed by Houston attorney Tony Buzbee, was filed on behalf of Jane Doe. Of the 22 lawsuits filed against Watson alleging sexual assault and inappropriate conduct, only two women had been publicly identified.
The ruling was made by Judge Dedra Davis in the 270th District Court. A similar hearing regarding at least 12 other cases is set for noon ET Friday in the 113th District Court, according to court records.
Watson's attorney, Rusty Hardin, filed the emergency motion Thursday, saying, "Mr. Buzbee's use of anonymous lawsuits violates Texas law and the basic concept of fairness."
"While I understand that anonymity often is used as a shield for victims, Mr. Buzbee is using it as a sword," Hardin said in a statement. "While shielding his clients from public scrutiny, Mr. Buzbee continues to use their anonymous allegations to destroy Mr. Watson. This is simply not right. And we look forward to resolving these matters in court."
Entire article:
https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/31221307/judge-orders-woman-suing-deshaun-watson-disclose-name
Update: April 9
At an emergency hearing in the morning, a Harris County judge ruled that one of the plaintiffs who filed a lawsuit against Watson must identify herself by refiling her lawsuit with her name attached.
Later that day, during a second hearing held in the 113th District Court, Buzbee and Hardin agreed that nine of 12 women would publicly reveal their names by April 14 after they told Buzbee they would do so voluntarily. Judge Rabeea Sultan Collier granted Hardin's emergency motion requiring the release of the names of the other three women.