On Tuesday, lawyer Rusty Hardin said that one of the 22 civil lawsuits against Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson has been dismissed. Hardin didn’t say whether the case was dismissed without quid pro quo or whether it was settled.
Per a source with knowledge of the situation, the case was not settled.
It’s still unknown why the case was dismissed. Given the timing and the context, the most reasonable explanation is that the plaintiff did not want to disclose her identity.
Regardless, 21 lawsuits remain -- and all of the plaintiffs apparently will be disclosing their names in the near future. Barring settlements, the cases will proceed through the litigation process. Eventually, attorney Tony Buzbee will want to put Watson under oath and interrogate him regarding all of the pending cases during a pre-trial deposition.
In theory, Buzbee would have the ability to depose Watson 21 times, one for each case.
UPDATE 11:35 p.m. ET: The lawsuit was dropped without prejudice, meaning that it can be refiled. In the dismissal notice, the plaintiff explains that she has decided not to pursue the case “for now” due to privacy and security concerns.