Barring a settlement, more of the unnamed plaintiffs who are suing Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson will be required to attach their names to their cases.
Following a Friday morning ruling that one of the 22 plaintiffs must attach her name to her civil complaint, another ruling has been issued requiring three more of the Jane Doe plaintiffs to re-file their cases with their names identified. Nine others have agreed to attach their names to their complaints.
During the second Friday hearing, Hardin argued on behalf of Watson that Buzbee has been trying the case publicly, and that Texas law does not allow these individuals to proceed with a pseudonym. Buzbee, for his part, disclosed that nine of the 12 plaintiffs at issue in the second Friday hearing have agreed to disclose their names -- and that more could follow suit.
As to the other three, the presiding judge has ruled that the names must be revealed.
It’s likely that all 22 plaintiffs eventually will be required to disclose their names. The question is whether they will choose to proceed with their names known, or whether they will opt to try to settle while their identities remain secret.
