Another day, another lawsuit. This time, NBA All Star James Harden is at the center of a serious legal battle after being accused of negligence in a civil lawsuit tied to an alleged sexual assault that reportedly occurred at a New Year’s Eve party hosted at his Houston mansion.
Let’s be clear, James Harden is not being accused of SA.
Get this, the lawsuit, filed in Harris County, Texas, was brought forth by Marisa Watley and obtained by USA TODAY Sports. Watley alleges that Harden’s nephew, Justice Armani Blackburn, raped her during the late-night celebration. The complaint states that Harden’s in-home security team failed to respond appropriately, contributing to what her legal team describes as a preventable tragedy.
The sprawling 18-page court document outlines that Watley’s friends were removed from the property by Harden’s security guards, leaving her inside alone. Later, when her friends became alarmed about her whereabouts, they shared a photo of her with Watley’s sister. That image was then sent to Blackburn’s mother—Harden’s sister—who passed it on to Harden’s security team.
According to the lawsuit, Harden’s security team allegedly dismissed the woman in the photo as someone other than Watley. The legal filing directly refutes that claim and accuses the security team of failing to recognize a potentially dangerous situation in progress.
Watley’s attorneys believe that Harden should be held “vicariously liable for the actions of his guards and their corporate employer,” both of which are named as co-defendants alongside him.
“Since New Year’s Day, when I reported the rape by Mr. Blackburn to the police, I have remained puzzled by how Mr. Harden’s security behaved that day…it is painful to imagine that this all could have been stopped in time,” Watley shared in a public statement.
“I hope this complaint pushes security employees generally to act more responsibly when women are in danger.”
As of now, Harden and his camp have not made any public remarks regarding the lawsuit or the allegations within it.