- The final two lawsuits against Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson have been dismissed.
- A total of 27 lawsuits accusing Watson of sexual misconduct were filed since March 2021.
- Watson was suspended by the NFL for 11 games in 2022 following an investigation into the allegations.
The two remaining lawsuits against Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson have been dismissed by the women who filed them just weeks before they were scheduled to go to trial in February and March.
Both were among 27 lawsuits filed against Watson since March 2021, all by women who accused him of sexual misconduct. Of the 27 cases, 24 ended with confidential settlements and one was withdrawn shortly after being field in 2021. The last remaining two were dismissed with prejudice in Houston Friday Jan. 6, indicating they also were settled with confidential terms.
Plaintiffs attorney Tony Buzbee represented 26 of the 27 women, including one of the final remaining plaintiffs, Lauren Baxley, who previously declined to settle after filing suit in March 2021. She was one of the first women to come forward publicly and accuse Watson of misconduct during a massage session.
“Case is settled,” Buzbee said Monday. “That’s all I can say about it. That’s the last case so that ends my involvement with Deshaun Watson litigation.”
Watson denied wrongdoing and said some of the encounters with these women were consensual. But the NFL investigated and eventually suspended him for 11 games in 2022.
The Baxley case was set for trial in Houston on March 30. The other remaining case was set for trial Feb. 18 and involved the only plaintiff who wasn’t represented by Buzbee. That woman’s attorney didn’t immediately return a message seeking comment.
That plaintiff had accused Watson of forcing her into oral sex during a massage session at the Houstonian Hotel in December 2020. Watson’s attorney, Rusty Hardin, called her lawsuit a “sham” after it was filed in October 2022. He didn’t immediately return a message seeking comment.
All cases generally alleged misconduct during massage sessions in 2020 and early 2021, when Watson played for the Houston Texans. That team also reached confidential settlements with 30 women who made claims related to Watson’s behavior and accused the team of enabling his behavior and failing to prevent it. In March 2022, the Texans traded him to the Browns, who gave him a five-year contract worth $230 million guaranteed.
But because of the suspension and injuries, Watson only has played in 19 games for the Browns since then. Last season, Watson, 30, didn’t play at all after undergoing surgery to repair a ruptured Achilles tendon.
Follow reporter Brent Schrotenboer @Schrotenboer. Email: bschrotenb@usatoday.com
