Lawyer Tony Buzbee Says Deshaun Watson Facing Total of 20 Civil Lawsuits

Eric Christian Smith/Associated Press

Attorney Tony Buzbee announced on Instagram that a 20th civil lawsuit has been filed against Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson, who has been accused of sexual assault and misconduct.

Buzbee represents the twenty women suing Watson. With Friday's update, the latest lawsuit total rose from 16 to 20. Per ESPN's Sarah Barshop, the original 16 lawsuits are on the Harris County district clerk's website, and the remaining four likely won't be made available until Monday.

Watson's attorney, Rusty Hardin, previously released a statement Tuesday and wrote that "any allegation that Deshaun forced a woman to commit a sexual act is completely false." He said in part:

"I want to emphasize at the outset that we and Deshaun recognize that sexual assault and harassment are not only unlawful, but morally wrong. It takes courage for women to come forward to report being mistreated, particularly when they attach their names to a lawsuit. We do not take these allegations lightly. However, fairness to the accused is equally as important."

Buzbee responded the next day and closed with these remarks:

"I do appreciate Mr. Hardin’s professionalism and his words of support for victims, but would respectfully suggest there are many facts here, that we will put in public filings, that Mr. Hardin might not be aware of. We will provide additional details in a statement, consistent with our ethical obligations in due course. I’m hoping we can do so by Friday."

Buzbee first alluded to lawsuits against Watson on March 16 in an Instagram post. Watson responded to the allegations on the same day:

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Two days later, the NFL informed the Texans that it will be investigating the claims under the league's personal conduct policy.

On Thursday, the Houston Police Department said that it had not received any "documentation of evidence" from Buzbee.

All 16 public lawsuits against Watson can be found on KTRK-TV's website, with allegations ranging from March 2020 to March 2021.