22 lawsuits against Deshaun Watson will be consolidated for pre-trial purposes

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Mar 19, 2019
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Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson faces 22 civil lawsuits arising from allegations of misconduct during massage sessions. Via the Houston Chronicle, the 22 cases will be consolidated for pre-trial purposes.

Judge Rabeea Sultan Collier will process the cases until the time comes for trial. At that point, the cases will be referred back to the judges to whom they were assigned when filed.

Judge Collier will handle issues regarding pre-trial matters, such as disputes regarding the limits of permissible discovery and referrals of one or more of the cases to mediation or other alternate dispute resolution procedures.

The approach has not yet officially happened; a panel of judges will meet and officially approve the arrangement.

Absent settlements or dismissals, all 22 cases eventually will go to trial. Given the reduced standard of proof that applies in civil cases (preponderance of the evidence, or basically 51-49) and the inherent uncertainty of taking cases to trial, it will be very difficult for Watson to prevail in every case, if each one goes to a verdict. With each passing trial, attorney Tony Buzbee will learn more about Watson’s defense and, in turn, be better prepared to deal with it.

The situation basically gives Buzbee 22 bites at the same apple, a process that will be ridiculously expensive for Watson, even if he somehow wins all a verdict in each of the cases. It’s all the more reason for Watson to find a way to resolve these cases in a way that resolves the cases in a way that is satisfactory to all parties.

Of course, Buzbee knows that. Which could make it even harder for Watson to get the cases resolved, if he’s inclined to try.
 
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