Nearly five years after the first civil lawsuit against Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson was filed, all of them have been resolved.
Via Brent Schrotenboer of USA Today, the last two of 27 lawsuits against Watson have been dismissed. They were due to go to trial in February and March 2026. The cases were dismissed with prejudice on January 6, an indication that the lawsuits were settled.
The plaintiffs accused Watson of misconduct during massage-therapy sessions.
One of the last remaining plaintiffs was one of the first. Lauren Baxley had previously refused to settle her claim.
Baxley’s lawyer, Tony Buzbee, confirmed that the case is over.
“Case is settled,” Buzbee said Monday, via Schrotenboer. “That’s all I can say about it. That’s the last case, so that ends my involvement with Deshaun Watson litigation.”
Buzbee handled 26 of the 27 lawsuits. The situation began when Watson’s lawyers refused to engage in settlement discussions as to the first claim. That led to an avalanche of cases, resulting in a 10-game suspension for Watson in 2022.
Watson has yet to rediscover the form that had made him one of the best quarterbacks in the league. His last solid season came in 2020, when he threw for 4,823 yards with the Texans. He didn’t play in 2021 while awaiting a trade, and then he missed the first 10 games of the 2022 season. Along the way, the Browns gave Watson a five-year, $230 million contract, with every penny of it fully guaranteed.
He remains under contract through 2026. The Browns intend to keep him on the roster.
