HARRIS COUNTY, Ohio — A Harris County judge has granted a request from the legal team representing Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson to reveal the identity of an accuser who filed suit against him for allegedly pressuring her into a sex act during a massage therapy session.
The ruling was made Monday in an emergency hearing held in the 113th District Court in Texas.
The woman has 24 hours to amend her petition to include her name, the court ruling states.
The lawsuit was filed last week on behalf of the plaintiff, who is currently 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.
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, the 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 attorneys 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 for 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."
This is the 25th lawsuit filed against Watson.
RELATED: Deshaun Watson's legal team files motion to reveal accuser's identity
You can watch more about this most recent lawsuit in the player below:
