Los Angeles Clippers star James Harden has been named in a sexual assault lawsuit against his nephew, Justice Armani Blackburn.
In a civil complaint filed in Harris County, Texas on Monday, June 23, and obtained by Us Weekly, plaintiff Melissa Watley alleged that Blackburn raped her while she was unconscious at a New Year’s Eve party at Harden’s home.
The lawsuit claims that Watley’s friends “alerted Mr. Harden’s security team that they were concerned that Ms. Watley appeared to be missing somewhere in the house, and Mr. Harden’s security team was aware that women were passed out from intoxication throughout the house.”
Despite Watley being in “a vulnerable condition in which she lacked the ability to consent,” the lawsuit alleges the security team failed to act, resulting in “a sexual assault from which she will suffer indefinitely.”
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The lawsuit claims that Harden, 35, is “vicariously liable for the actions of his guards and their corporate employer,” who are also named as defendants.
Watley and her friends, listed as Jane and Emily in the lawsuit, were made aware of a party at Harden’s home during a night out at a gentleman’s club in Houston. Upon arrival at the home, the women were allegedly led to Harden’s “studio,” where Blackburn allegedly offered them a drink from a bottle. The women claim they subsequently passed out.
In the moments that followed, Watley says her memory became “very hazy.”
“The next thing Ms. Watley recalls is being shocked into consciousness while lying face down on a bed with a man behind her having aggressive sex with her,” the lawsuit states. “For the first few moments that she can recall of the assault, she was in a dream-like state and was not fully awake.”
Watley allegedly recognized the man raping her to be Blackburn.
“Ms. Watley began frantically looking for her phone and asking Mr. Blackburn where it was,” the lawsuit reads. “Mr. Blackburn indicated that he did not know where it was.”
A member of the security team allegedly entered the room while Watley was trying to find her phone and asked her to leave the home.
Once outside Harden’s home, Watley was eventually picked up by her two friends, who looked “visibly frightened.”
Watley went to the emergency room on the same day as the assault and has been “struggling to recover mentally from what occurred.”
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“Since the event, she speaks with a heavy stutter — a symptom of severe trauma,” the lawsuit reads. “With the help of her sister, she is seeking therapy and psychiatric help. She will be suffering from the fallout of this event her entire life.”
Us Weekly has reached out to Harden’s representatives and the Los Angeles Clippers for comment.
According to the lawsuit, Watley is demanding a jury trial and economic, compensatory and punitive damages.
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).
