Attorney Tony Buzbee claimed on Friday night that 20 lawsuits have been filed against Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson. Officially, the number filed is now 18.
Via multiple reports, the seventeenth and eighteen assault lawsuits against Watson have now been filed. Presumably, No. 19 and No. 20 will show up in the system soon.
Buzbee has said that he’s evaluating 24 total potential claims.
In all cases, Watson will have a deadline for responding to the complaint, either with an answer or a motion to dismiss. Once an answer is filed, the court eventually will convene a scheduling conference aimed at identifying a trial date and then working backward to fill in all other relevant deadlines.
Usually, civil lawsuits go to trial within 18 months to two years after filing. For Watson, one of the early strategic questions will be whether to try to consolidate all of the cases or defend each one separately.
More immediately, and as we explained last week, Watson’s long-term best interests would be best served by finding a way to resolve all claims to the satisfaction of all involved, as soon as possible. In a Friday night social-media posting, however, Buzbee vowed that the cases will be resolved in court.
Eventually, it’s not his call. If one or more of his clients choose to accept whatever offer Watson makes, one or more of the cases definitely won’t go to court.