The problem is if there isn’t any hard evidence, they can’t really proceed to criminal court. That’s one reason why civil claims exist.
Just an FYI, Texas law absolutely does not require this. The Complainant's (victim's) testimony of physical force, if believed, can be enough to support a potential conviction for sexual assault.
Had to look it up. Cheers.
I still have issue though. “Guilty enough for money but not guilty enough for criminal time”.
Every now and then I post to bring it back and pour out some of a cold one.
Welcome to the American criminal justice system.
Sometimes in these case it takes the civil route to bring on the criminal case. Don’t pass judgement on a lawyer filing a civil case to bring on a criminal case. This has happened before. In fact Buzbee has done it. In a child sexual assault case in Texas. Look up Stanley Marsh, Cadillac Ranch.
Per Buzbee news conference today his clients all had to agree to accept the jurisdictional minimum in Texas, which is $500. He states this isn’t about money, and they aren’t really even asking for any. It’s about getting Watson to stop. Buzbee claims one of his clients is from an incident that occurred AFTER a Watsons lawyer was made aware of this, just a month ago.
Cheers for the first part.
“To stop”? Am I missing what they accused him of? Sexual assault. They just want him to stop assaulting women sexually against their will. That’s about the most civil correction I can think of. I absolutely stand corrected.
The chance this has anything to do with the Texans is zero to none. It makes zero sense. If you want to argue the FO handled things with him poorly, I would agree. But to think they would essentially just decide to not only kill any value he has to them (either through a trade, or actually playing for them since he is likely looking at a lengthy suspension) is a pretty out there conspiracy. Contract issues, trade demands, holdouts, etc, are nothing new with the NFL. To think a team would go to these lengths due to a trade demand is pretty far out there.
Heard shefter just say that the step is civil and then TX authorities decided whether or not to pursue criminal charges. Hes done for awhile
Man. I cannot recall a team going from contender to roadkill so fast in my life.
And you had to figure the front office had some clue about all this... amazing. Two weeks ago he's worth the biggest ransom in nfl history. Now he may never play again.
Couldn't happen to a better franchise. Sucks for them.
I think if their front office had a clue earlier, they would have taken the big trade already.
Without physical evidence, it would have near zero chance of a conviction. It’s hearsay and a credibility issue of “he said, she said”. Watson has a history of community service and prior these allegations a near sterling citizen reputation. Versus a citizen who has chosen a career in home massage.
I doubt it gets to trial, there will be a settlement.
Ok. But the home masseuses put themselves in that position also. You can’t apply a standard of judgement to one side and not the other. But you’ve already stated your bias. and i think that’s a fair statement and remarkably good insight.
What is the crime? I’m not sure there has even been a police report filed.
You would be surprised how often prosecutors are able to get a conviction for some form of sexual assault without "physical evidence."
Regarding hearsay, there are exceptions that could apply depending on what evidence Buzbee actually has. For example, an alleged statement where Watson told one of the Plaintiff's that he was sorry about making them feel uncomfortable and that wasn't his intention could potentially come in as a statement against interest under Texas Rule of Evidence 803(24) depending on what the actual context of that supposed statement was.
Again, a lawsuit like this is in its earliest stages. Watson hasn't filed a responsive pleading of any kind at the moment (Answer, request to change venue, for examples). People should keep in mind that the Petitions filed by Buzbee allege enough about his claims and requested enough damages to allow the case to proceed in a Civil District Court, but are not evidence. Petitions aren't sworn to and you rarely attach any evidence to them. In addition, up to a certain point, Buzbee can amend the petitions to add new claims/or requests for damages. Amending a petition isn't unusual and is common place in civil litigation.
People need to keep an open mind, one way or the other. It looks bad, really, really bad for Watson right now, and likely he's pretty much done for with the public. I have tried enough cases (and handled enough appeals) that most people do believe where there is smoke, there is a fire. Or another way of putting it in a criminal case, "we wouldn't be here unless the defendant did something."
At the same time, all the public has to go on are the petitions that have been filed and some tidbits of certain items Buzbee says supports their claims. None of that has been tested in a court of law and we do not know whether those certain items would be admissible as evidence, or actually support their claims. Buzbee, and the other attorneys in his firm, are good lawyers who know what they are doing. Those conspiracy theory nonsense about why these lawsuits were filed by him are just that, nonsense. Watson is lucky that he can hire Rusty Hardin and his firm, they are also great attorneys. For now, all we can do is wait and see (and speculate, etc.). I do agree with you Riverman, I do not see this going to trial and think it will end up as a settlement (most civil cases ultimately do).
For those interested, the Harris County District Clerk posts all public (i.e. not protected or private) documents on their website. If you create an account, you can follow the case and view certain filings that are made (depending on what they are).
Office of Harris County District Clerk - Marilyn Burgess | Search Our Records
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