Oakland (Special to NFLNewsbyZennie62.com) – Tony Buzbee, the famed class-action lawyer, file a lawsuit against now-Cleveland Browns QB Deshawn Watson, and for allegations of sexual assault. The new lawsuit sparked some to question the future of Watson with the Browns. But those ideas are purely speculative. The real question is can this new lawsuit be any more trust-worthy than the first 24 Mr. Buzbee filed.
Here’s Tony Buzbee’s statement:
We feel compelled to release this statement based on the innumerable press inquiries we’ve received:
We reached out to attorney Rusty Hardin’s office for ten months in an attempt to resolve this case. We knew this case was the most serious and egregious case brought against Watson to date and our client, who is rightly traumatized by these events, wanted to attempt a private resolution. We thought that was the best approach given the media storm that occurred surrounding the legion of other claims. Unfortunately, Watson’s team or maybe his lawyers couldn’t or wouldn’t give this case the attention it was due. Mr. Hardin now has tried to contact us since we filed suit. Unfortunately we see that now as too little, too late. But, we are officers of the court, and we will give Mr. Hardin and his esteemed team the respect he has earned and will work with him to progress this case in an efficient manner.
With regard to whether Deshaun Watson “knows who this woman is,” I hope that’s his defense. He is well aware of what he did. This case is strong and now that we have filed we will pursue it with vigor.
We have heard from the NFL. We will respond in due course.
Finally, you should know that, although I wasn’t aware of her claims, Mr. Watson was well aware of this victim and her claims immediately after it occurred and Watson was again reminded back when we filed the first lawsuit for the other multiple victims. (I wasn’t part of that.) I can understand, given the number of women that Mr. Watson has interacted with, that he could forget some or many of them. However, given the nature of the alleged conduct in this case, I expect this incident is something he wouldn’t soon forget.
We look forward to a trial by jury.
Is Tony Buzbee Jane Doe In New Lawsuit Actually Toi Garner The Flight Attendant?
Deshawn Watson has said he did not know anything about the new lawsuit claims and is innocent of the accusations in what is a civil lawsuit. The lawsuit focuses on an October 10th, 2021 date of occurrence. That’s around the time Watson was alleged to have been receiving massages from someone named Toi Garner.
In point of fact, Toi Garner was a Massage Student, not a professional, and a single mother who worked as a flight attendant.
What follows is a repeat of the news from our Oakland News Now Blog website.
State of Texas: Toi Garner Massage Student Permit Says United Airlines Employee Has Other Life Not Disclosed On Her Linkedin Profile
Who is Toi Garner? She’s the named plaintiff in the case of Toi Garner vs. Houston NFL Holdings L.P., AKA The Houston Texans. The case filed by Houston class action Super Lawyer Tony Buzbee where The Buzbee Law Firm issued 24 lawsuits accusing now former Texans Quarterback Deshawn Watson of inappropriate behavior.
But the way Buzbee has written the lawsuits, itself, invites a level of examination and questioning beyond the scope of the mainstream media, which winds up telling an inaccurate tale. Blogger to the rescue.
Texas Department of Licensing & Regulation Helps Zennie62Media
First, I want to thank Tela Mange, Public Information Officer, Texas Department of Licensing & Regulation, for her help in providing information.
Second, I want to share what she informed me of during our communication (which I explained to her would be used in this reporting).
Third, before I do, I want to inform you that the student massage permit that Toi Garner is said to have is confirmed by the State of Texas in the words of Tela Mange.
Fourth, while she has apparently gotten it via a massage school, unbelievably, Ms. Mange says I have to file an open-records request just to find out the name of the organization (which I will do).
Fifth, originally and still, the Toi Garner Massage Student Permit did look like it was faked, which is why I called the Texas Department of Licensing & Regulation, which led me to Tela Mange.
Sixth, Ms. Mange was kind enough to offer the view that it’s not unusual for someone like Toi Garner to not have her massage work mentioned on her Linkedin profile.
Seventh, i find it strange that the State of Texas allows a system to exist that, in effect, helps a person cover-up aspects of their licensing life. (Suppose the school listed is not accredited to teach massage?)
What I wrote to Ms. Mange:
Dear Ms. Mange,
First, thank you for taking my call today. Second, I called and am now writing to check on the validity of what one of my fans claims is a “Massage Student Permit” he says was granted to “Toi Jvann Garner” AKA Toi Garner. Toi Garner is the named plaintiff in Tony Buzbee’s latest Deshaun Watson-related lawsuit, this one against The Houston Texans.
Mr. Buzbee claims in his lawsuit that Toi Garner is a United Airlines Flight Attendant and a WAS a massage therapy student during November of 2020, when she had the alleged “encounter” with Mr. Watson. However, a search of her name turned up a Linkedin page with.no mention of a massage therapy student history or any intent on going into the field.
Her Linkedin Page says that she works for United Airlines and “Rich Legacy Studios”, When I ran the name “Rich Legacy Studios” in search, a YouTube channel of the same name popped up. When I visited it, I found two videos made my “Rich Legacy Studios” and specifically for Deshaun Watson. And, again, Toi Garner works for Rich Legacy Studios, which is a video production company in Houston.
So, you see now why I am checking on what I was sent and the Tony Buzbee-generated idea that Toi Garner was or is a massage therapy student. I could not find her name in your Texas database. Yet, here’s what my fan sent me: ( photo shown on Oakland News Now Blog.com and Oakland News Online). See how the name “Toi Jvann Garner” is in a different type from any other name? I made two photos because it is easier to see than one large one. The first photo starts from the left and the other picks up in the middle and goes to the right.
Then I asked “Say, some questions: why does the permit not show up in search when I did it? Also, does it have to be issued from a school but through the State of Texas? How do you know she’s a true Massage Therapist Student? Is that all she needs to take on clients? Was she wrong to have Deshawn Watson as a client? Also, the date of expiration is in a weird format, 2104, why? When does the license expire?”
Then, I waited for her response, which took something like an hour to get. She wrote:
Zennie,
Thanks for your patience. Here’s what I can tell you:
Ms. Garner has had a massage student permit since October 2020. Below my signature line, I have pasted screen shots of the step-by-step process one would take to find her record in our licensing database. Please let me know if you have any other questions. Tela
Tela Answer: Here are answers to your questions. I will be available tomorrow for any follow-ups you may have.
My Question: Why does the permit not show up in search when I did it?
Tela Answer: If you didn’t indicate on the first search page that you were specifically asking about a massage therapy license, her name probably would not show up because the massage therapy licenses are in a separate database. We have 9 different licensing systems/databases because we have inherited a number of different programs from different agencies over the years. We are in the process of trying to obtain funding from the state legislature that would enable us to create a licensing system that would merge all of our programs into one system.
My Question: Does it have to be issued from a school but through the State of Texas?
Tela Answer: Starting on June 1, 2020, all students enrolled in massage therapy courses in Texas were required to hold a student permit issued by TDLR. The permits are requested through the massage school where the student is enrolled. The school tracks student hours and reports them to TDLR.
My Question: How do you know she’s a true Massage Therapist Student?
Tela Answer: She has been issued a massage student permit, so she would be considered a massage therapy student. I do not have access to records that would show how many hours she has accrued so far in her studies.
My Question: Is that all she needs to take on clients?
Tela Answer: Students must successfully complete the first 250 hours of the supervised course of instruction, including the successful completion of at least 100 hours of massage therapy techniques and theory before they are eligible to enter the internship program. An internship must provide a student with a minimum of 40 hours of hands-on massage therapy experience at the location of the student’s enrollment. The internship must be completed at a massage school licensed by TDLR. During the hands-on portion of the internship, a massage therapy instructor must be available on the premises of the massage school and be immediately available to the student. A massage school shall not allow a student to receive any form of compensation for massage therapy or other massage therapy services.
My Question: Also, the date of expiration is in a weird format, 2104, why? When does the license expire?
Tela Answer: “Massage therapy student permits do not expire. Our computer database at this time cannot cope with a “no expiration date” license, therefore we picked a date far into the future.”
My Question: “Also who did you have to ask before you called back and what was the question?”
Tela Answer: I wanted to confirm that I understood the information about the expiration date, as I knew you would ask that question.
My Question:
“Hi. Thanks! I owe you a ton. One thing. What school did she attend?
Her Linkedin profile has no mention of any massage school. Look:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/toigarner/
See? Very weird.
What school did she attend?”
Tela Answer:
Hi Zennie,
To get info about what school she’s enrolled with, you will need to file an open records request. You’ll visit our TDLR Records Center and create an account.
I don’t find it odd that her LinkedIn profile doesn’t mention massage school. I do things that I don’t put on my linked in profile.
My Question and Response:
Hello Tela!
Wow, thank you so much. I will fill that out. But I have to say the idea that she has this “other life”and I have to file an open records request brings up other questions that seem to be beyond our ability to answer without her. For example, why would she choose to do massage therapy in an underground way? Does this follow the pattern TCU Professor Dr. Vanessa Bouche was writing about in her work on what are called “illicit massage therapy” businesses in Houston? What’s the real story regarding how she met Deshaun Watson – it seems like it was really via Rich Legacy Studios. Does Rich Legacy Studios have women who also operate as underground massage therapy workers? And it seems all of this is perfectly legitimate and legal.
My mind is blown.
Thanks,
Zennie
Tela Response:
“You should probably ask her these questions. We would not have that information.”
A Clear Case Of An Underground Massage Therapy Operation By Toi Garner That Drew-In Deshaun Watson
This is not a cut-and-dried simple story but one revealed, perhaps unknowingly, by the lawsuit filed by The Buzbee Law Firm. This, to my eyes, looks like the classic case of what Dr. Vanessa Bouche was writing about regarding what she calls “IMBs” or illicit massage businesses. I could not get the TCU Professor and former Central Intelligence Agency Analyst to go on the record the first time I reached out to her, but I will try again.
In her 2015 study, Dr. Bouche has wrote that there were 207 Houston-area massage parlors that appeared to be both illicit and blatantly open for erotic business. And she picked 32 massage parlors to study in-depth, placing hidden cameras on public streets near entrances and collecting 24-hour surveillance videos in December 2015.
Based on reviews of that sample, Dr. Vanessa Bouche estimated that 2,869 men per day visited illicit massage parlors across Houston for sexual services that ranged in cost from $50 to $100. Most of the so-called illicit massage parlors – IMPs – were in suburban strip malls and were busiest between noon and 4 p.m.
Houston Texans Encouraged And Helped Watson Find Underground Massage Therapy Workers
For her part, Toi Garner claims that the Houston Texans encouraged and helped Watson find underground massage therapy workers. Indeed, there’s a sound reason for that action, even if it pushed Watson into situations with people who had ill intent with him.
During the dates that Watson was active in meeting underground massage therapy workers, the Governor of Texas had closed down such businesses as part of the response to the COVID-19 Crisis. That included the Houston Texans in-house operation.
So, Texans trainers provided the places and non-disclosure agreements to allow Watson and his massage therapy business owner the ability to work under the possible gaze of the law, given that such businesses were not supposed to be in operation at the time.
However, it’s quite clear that the Houston Texans took their efforts and turned them against Watson after he stated his desire to be traded. And all because Watson wanted some say in who the Houston Texans next coach should be.
Where Does Rich Legacy Studios Fit In All Of This?
The other question is where does Rich Legacy Studios, the Houston video production outfit Toi Garner said she worked for, and that made videos for Watson, fit in all of this? Moreover, why didn’t The Buzbee Law Firm mention that Toi Garner worked for Rich Legacy Studios, and thus for Deshaun Watson? And why did Toi Garner, in her updated Linkedin profile, remove mention of working for Rich Legacy Studios?
It is because Rich Legacy Studios produced videos for Deshaun Watson and The Buzbee Law Firm didn’t want to reveal that connection?
Check out the Deshaun Watson Birthday video from 2019:
What’s clear is that Deshaun Watson was the focus of what looks to me like a shakedown. There’s too many lines pointing to that conclusion. Too many unanswered questions. But the NFL should change its stance from one of punishment of Watson to protection of its players from these situations.
Stay tuned for updates.
Tony Buzbee History With Deshawn Watson Is Mired In Fake News
Here’s the detailed account from the Oakland News Now Blog entry on the Deshawn Watson lawsuits from the first go at this in 2021.
Tony Buzbee Deshawn Watson Lawsuits: Massage Therapists Violated COVID-19 Rules, 22 Filed Lawsuits Are Fake
UPDATE: A Grand Jury in Houston ruled that none of the 22 filed lawsuits met the test of rising to a criminal level. In other words, the Grand Jury found that Deshawn Watson did nothing wrong. The mainstream press, not inclined to study, does not understand that such an outcome is rare: Grand Jury events normally result in convictions. The outcome supports this blogger’s assertion that the lawsuits were fake, from the start. Also, a number of people in the Houston Law Enforcement community agree with me.
Tony Buzbee, the famed Houston Super Lawyer, has acted cavalierly in filing 22 lawsuits against Houston Texans Quarterback Deshawn Watson. Each of the lawsuits contains variations of a claim of sexual harassment, but leave out a number of important details that, upon inspection, stress their credibility to the breaking point.
From the point of view of this blogger who was once one-step from law school at the behest of Oakland lawyer friends who said I was “already a lawyer and just needed the paper-work”, all 22 of the Buzbee Lawsuits on Deshaun Watson are fake – suspect in many ways.
The definition of “cesspool” applies to Tony Buzbee’s Deshawn Watson lawsuits. According to the Meriram Webster Dictionary is: 1 : an underground reservoir for liquid waste (such as household sewage) 2 : a filthy, evil, or corrupt place or state a cesspool of corruption.
In at least three of the civil lawsuits filed where dates of alleged events occurred, the information pointed to violations of state-sanctioned COVID-19 rules against business operation. In addition, a number of cases had no specific day and date of occurrence, bringing into question the very validity of those lawsuits.
Now, it’s important to believe a woman’s claims in these matters, but also with America’s racist history of telling lies against black men, it’s equally important to investigate those allegations and with detailed analysis, before reaching a conclusion.
The Sad Legacy Of Emmitt Till Comes Into Play With The Tony Buzbee Deshaun Watson Lawsuits
Not believing black men and being racist towards black men has produced the 1955 murder of young Emmitt Till. In that case, the 14 year old boy was beaten to death by the husband of 21-year-old Carolyn Bryant. Bryant told her husband that the boy Till whistled at her, then.
The violence led to an all-white jury trial, where her husband and the other white men involved were acquitted. But later, in 2007, in a book called The Blood of Emmett Till (Simon & Schuster, Ms. Bryant, then 72-year-old, confessed that she had fabricated the most sensational part of her testimony – the claim that Till whistled at her.
While a 14-year-old boy making a pass at a woman should not yield any kind of punishment, the level of mental illness that is racism was so great in 1955, that Till was not only killed, white-owned newspapers of the day came to the defense of his killers!
Fast forward to 2020, and Amy Cooper’s now well-known attempt to make a false police report against Chris Cooper in New York’s Central Park. His cell phone camera filming the entire moment she was telling lies to the 9-11 dispatcher saved him from what could have been a false arrest, and perhaps the same kind of harm that other black men (Eric Garner for example) have faced at the hands of police in New York City.
And then there’s Fred Lane, Jr. The running back for the Carolina Panthers was killed by his wife Dedre, but claimed domestic violence. Police investigated and found that she not only lied about Fred Jr., but also robbed a bank and did not want him to tell law enforcement. She had invented a scheme to try and take his insurance money. She wound up serving seven years in jail. Fred Jr was my cousin. The last time I talked with him was in early 1999, when I was assigned to make Oakland’s bid to host the 2005 Super Bowl. Dedre Lane should still be behind bars as far as I am concerned.
On top of that heinous act, Dedre Lane robbed a bank in 2003.
I can go on, but the reader must see that it’s important to investigate a claim, regardless of the politics or the political climate of the day. Guilt or innocence can’t be the children of heresay – even as far too many black men have received death because of that dynamic. The only way to stop lies is into investigate claims. Thus.
The Tony Buzbee lawsuits involving Ashley Solis and the Texas April 15th 2020 massage therapist, and then the Los Angeles July 15th 2020 massage therapist, were done at times when it was not legal to operate a massage business due to COVID-19 restrictions. The Ashley Solis date of March 30th, the Texas date of April 15th , and the California July 15th 2020 Los Angeles alleged event (10th lawsuit) are dates were where massage therapy operations were not considered essential services in Texas and California, and were forced to close. That Texas Governor executive order, filed on March 26th of 2020, referred to the very business of doing massage, regardless of the location in an office or at home.
Moreover, the order explained that it would last to April 3, 2020, and be removed only after consultation with the CDC. But it is clear from the records that the Texas Governor did not order the reopening of massage businesses after April 3, 2020, and would not do so until June 3, 2020.
The document called “Deshaun Watson Lawsuit 5” also has the same COVID-19 problem. The document claims that the encounter with him “took place at a spa in Houston” on June 2, 2020, but does not list the time of the meeting or even the name of the spa, itself. Moreover, it was not until June 3, 2020, that Texas Governor Abbott issued an executive order as part of the reopening process, and calling for social distancing and mask wearing to be practiced by massage businesses. The Texas Governor Greg Abbott had not issued any executive order to remove the March 26th Executive Order that prohibited the operation of massage businesses.
Given the gravity of the COVID-19 problem, it’s mind-boggling that a lawsuit regarding the operation of a type of business that was targeted for shutdown in many states, did not even mention that issue. It is equally mind-boggling that the Plaintiffs would fail to mention that they or Watson was masked or not. And if Watson was so bad from a COVID perspective, wouldn’t that complaint show up in the lawsuits against him, and especially in the California case (considering that State’s more stringent view of protections from COVID-19)?
That lawsuit logic problem may very well be because it was Tony Buzbee and The Buzbee Law Firm that crafted the lawsuit stories. Because they’re not in the massage business, it never once occurred to them to consider COVID-19 restrictions, and the chance that they may place their lawsuit claims in jeopardy just by the appearance of making up a story, rather than telling the truth.
And Where The COVID-19 Prohibition Issue Doesn’t Exist, Other Lawsuits Have Giant Credibility Problems
“Deshaun Watson Lawsuit 6” reports the alleged event happened twice in the lawsuit, then works to attack its own credibility. The lawsuit summary reads that Watson asked for treatment in October of 2020, then in November of 2020. But, incredibly, and on the same page of the lawsuit, it reads that Watson scheduled a massage for October 19th 2020, then reads the same encounter happened on October 19th 2020 – no specific times are provided for what was written as a “scheduled” meeting. That implies that times were recorded, but no time for Watson’s arrival was given in the lawsuit.
The same is true for the allegations that Watson “reached out” for a meeting via text “around” November 2 – but then fails to tell when Deshaun Watson really did come to the office, only that he came to the venue. How can the plaintiff assert the event really happened and say that it was “scheduled” but not provide specific times for the meeting, or tell what time he came in?
Indeed, a number of Tony Buzbee / Deshaun Watson lawsuits fail to list specific times of events:
Fully, 13 of the 22 lawsuits filed lack any specific times of events, and some of the other lawsuits do not even bother to add specific days, just entire months. In other words, we are to believe that the event happened on some one day of an entire month, but the Plaintiffs can’t seem to remember the day.
But the overall fact is that 60 percent of the lawsuits filed lack any attempt at event specificity, and yet we’re supposed to believe the Plaintiffs were licensed, professional massage therapists. You know, the kind that have schedules with dates and times and invoices.
For example, the document called “Deshaun Watson Lawsuit 18” does not list a specific dates, thereby opening themselves up to more credibility challenges. “Deshaun Watson Lawsuit 18” reads the massages by the licensed therapist (if there was one) occurred “sometime in 2020”, which makes it more possible than not that the sessions happened (if they really did) during periods when massage business activity was prohibited because of COVID-19.
“Deshaun Watson Lawsuit 17” ( AKA Toi Garner) does give a specific date and has times, but it is reported to have occurred at the Plaintiff’s mother’s home. Moreover, the Plaintiff writes that she’s a flight attendant, and not a professional, licensed massage therapist. Moreover, she claimed to have been a “massage therapy student” but also “owned her own business”. And does this mean her mother was there and met Mr Watson? That’s not stated. And it is fair to wonder if her mother knows she’s mentioned in this lawsuit?
There’s no given name of the business, or the business type. For example, is it an LLC or a c-corporation? Houston, Texas is known for hosting a giant number of illegally established “massage therapy” practices that are really just fronts for prostitution. And while the Texas legal focus has been to work to stop human trafficking, it completely misses the grey area, where the person has taken up sex work to make ends meet on her own, without any other associates.
On that note consider Deshaun Watson Lawsuit 13, where the Plaintiff states July 2020 as the general time that Watson and she “made contact” on Instagram but gives no dates or times of when they actually had the alleged session. It just goes right into the porn-level descriptions that some media organizations shamefully repeated in their so-called “coverage” of this matter. It’s very easy to just pick any one of the so-called 22 lawsuits and find enormous levels of misinformation in any one of them.
Deshaun Watson Lawsuit #3, 4, 5, 6 Are Total Lies Says Rusty Hardin
Houston TV Station KHOU wrote that Jane Doe 3, 4, 5, and 6 were all lies or outright extortion attempts:
Jane Doe #3 – Case No. 15613
The third lawsuit filed alleges sexual assault during a massage at a Houston office building in December 2020.
The woman said Watson “aggressively dictated” what he wanted and made it clear that he was a professional football player who could help or hurt her career.
She accused Watson of asking her to massage his genitals, then forcing her to perform oral sex.
According to the lawsuit, she felt intimidated and threatened and was afraid of what would happen if she resisted.
The woman said she blacked out from fear and now suffers from panic attacks, anxiety and depression.
Watson response: “Her business manager acknowledged to Mr. Watson’s marketing manager that the contact was consensual, but she still wanted money. Plaintiff claims in the lawsuit that she is “disgusted” by Mr. Watson. Yet, after her therapy session with him, she bragged to friends and family members about massaging Mr. Watson and told them that she thinks he is a kind person.”
“Plaintiff admittedly sought to “blackmail” Mr. Watson before she filed suit. She asked him to pay her $30,000 for “indefinite silence” because her encounter would be “embarrassing” if revealed. More importantly, when Mr. Watson’s marketing manager, Bryan Burney, asked her whether she was claiming that something happened against her will, she confirmed that everything that occurred was consensual. Finally, she told Mr. Burney that she wanted a copy of the NDA that she and Mr. Watson signed because she did not want people in her industry to know she had provided oral sex to her massage client.”
Jane Doe #4 – Case No. 15937
The lawsuit says Watson initially contacted the licensed esthetician’s boss, asked for a photo of the plaintiff and asked if he could give the plaintiff a massage.
During the first appointment in September, the woman said Watson became aroused and asked her what she was going to do about it.
She said she was afraid to complain because she didn’t want to risk her job or career.
During the next appointment in October, the woman said Watson told her she was wearing too many clothes, tried to kiss her and tried to put his penis in her hand.
She said she cut the session short and Watson became angry and left.
Watson response: “A security guard at the spa where Mr. Watson received a massage stated that plaintiff was happy and laughing after her interactions with Mr. Watson. She was excited about having worked on him and did not want any other therapist to work on him.
She claims she was “fearful” and felt “violated, terrified and disgusted” after her therapy sessions with Mr. Watson. “She does not explain why then, on more than one occasion, she messaged him after his football games to check in on him and asked to massage him again.”
Jane Doe #5 – Case No. 15938
The massage therapist said Watson was respectful at the beginning of the massage in October 2020. But she said he began moving in a “provocative manner” and exposed himself.
When Watson arrived for a second massage in November, she said he caught her off guard and kissed her, then asked her to focus on his buttocks and penis area.
She refused but said he moved in a way that his penis touched her hand.
The civil assault lawsuit alleges he offered to pay extra for a massage in that area and she refused, so he got angry and left.
Watson response: “In stark contrast to plaintiff’s statement that after the alleged incident she told Mr. Watson that she “would not work for him” and “has not been able to move on from these experiences,” she contacted Mr. Watson multiple times telling him that she was attracted to him and wanted to go out on dates with him.
Jane Doe #6 – Case No. 15943
This massage took place in September 2020 at a Houston salon where the woman rents a room, according to the civil assault lawsuit.
The woman alleges Watson asked if he could be naked and if it was OK if he became aroused, but she told him to cover himself.
She said he “continued to move his body in a way that would cause his penis to repeatedly touch the plaintiff’s hand.”
The woman said she was shocked and moved away, and then Watson ejaculated while lying on his back.
She said she stopped the session and left the room.
Tony Buzbee’s Deshaun Watson Lawsuits Read As More Fiction Than Fact
My investigation of all of the 22 lawsuits is ongoing at this time. But, again, the fact that none of the 22 Tony Buzbee lawsuit documents referred to COVID-19-related laws or and care to prepare the massage environment against COVID-19 transmission, and that most of the lawsuits fail to report a specific date and time and exact place of when an event happened, is alarming.
It is also bothersome that the lawsuits seem to try and establish the plaintiffs as professionals in business, with “scheduled” massages, but then fails to provide specific times when the meetings were set and Watston arrived. One can’t just brush this off as poor record keeping. No court of law will give plaintiffs a break here – especially if that would result in the an appearance of fraud in someone’s complaint. In other words, courts are not about the business off permitting plaintiffs to file sloppy lawsuits that amount to finger-pointing without any real evidence.
Moreover, the lawsuits appear to try and get around the motion to dismiss that should be filed because they claim that “no money is sought” (as in the case of Jane Doe 5 Lawsuit, to provide one example) but then, again, that is countered by the explanation that the plaintiffs is “damaged” by loss of revenue and seeks “relief”. Given that malady, alone, I believe the cases should be dismissed under Rule 91a – Dismissal of Baseless Causes of Action.
Rule 91a – Dismissal of Baseless Causes of Action reads as follows:
91a.1 Motion and Grounds. Except in a case brought under the Family Code or a case governed by Chapter 14 of the Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code, a party may move to dismiss a cause of action on the grounds that it has no basis in law or fact. A cause of action has no basis in law if the allegations, taken as true, together with inferences reasonably drawn from them do not entitle the claimant to the relief sought. A cause of action has no basis in fact if no reasonable person could believe the facts pleaded.
Tony Buzbee Uses Class-Action Lawsuits Because They Can Be Vague Rather Than Specific
The reader may wonder why Tony Buzbee has produced lawsuits that can be broadly described as vague? The answer would seem to appear in the fact that he’s used to filing class-action lawsuits, where keeping matters vague is a common standard. In “The Limits of Vague Pleading”, McGuire Woods reports that:
Class action practice provides plaintiffs with some odd pleading incentives. Two that cause continual problems are the need to keep things vague (in order to emphasize commonalities over any variations that may arise from more specific details) and the need to frame one’s complaint as broadly as possible to maximize the potential recovery in settlement negotiations.
The Tony Buzbee Lawsuits are rich in vague language, and copy / pasted scenes of alleged sexual behavior on the part of Watson. The lawsuits are shockingly similar in what they report, and look for all the world like Buzbee’s staffers just slapped together the same basic words for all of the lawsuits. In other words, it looks made up and sloppy, at that.
Given the appearance of fake claims in the initial study of the Tony Buzbee Lawsuits against Houston Texans QB Deshaun Watson, and where it is evident that just moving to randomly evaluate a lawsuit’s claims leads constant basic data gaps that would normally be in place to prove a story actually happened, I have to share an early conclusion: these lawsuits were made up.
I assert Tony Buzbee’s organization, with a small group of people including a group of massage therapists that others have already identified , took a handful of Deshaun Watson encounters with women who may have been fronting as massage therapists to the general public, tried to make the few look like a lot, and altered the stories to make Watson look bad in the court of public opinion.
Why?
Because, in my view, the end objective clearly was that the Texans wanted to get back at Watson for making the organization look bad in public, and feared losing millions spent paying him if he was to successfully jump to another NFL team. Watson wanted to be traded because he believed the Texans went back on a promise he says the organization made to involve him in the process of the selection of a head coach.
To repeat, the Texans were looking like cads in the court of public opinion, and about to lose the star QB they just gave millions to. It’s very logical to assume the organization engineered the Tony Buzbee fake lawsuits because of the impact they’ve collectively had on Deshaun Watson. As of now, he’s stuck with a team he does not want to play for, and with some in the media, and the NFL itself, hanging the 22 questionable lawsuits over his head like some sword of Damocles that’s ready to drop in case the Texans do try and activate him.
Stay tuned.