James Harden has been named in a lawsuit in which a woman also accuses the Clippers star’s nephew of sexual assault.
As seen in court documents viewed by Complex on Tuesday, the plaintiff, Marisa Watley, alleges she was “brutally raped” by Justice Armani Blackburn, described as “Harden’s nephew” in the docs. Also listed as defendants are 10 security guards, as well as the “unknown corporate entity” handling their employment. Harden, meanwhile, is accused of negligence.
Watley says in recently filed court docs that she first joined two friends for a New Year's Eve dinner on Dec. 31, 2024. The three ultimately ended up at a club, at which point they noticed Harden in the VIP section.
Later, Watley says she and her friends attended an afterparty at Harden's home in the Houston area, where Blackburn allegedly offered them “a drink from the bottle of liquor he was holding.” Watley says she later passed out, only to be “shocked into consciousness” during the alleged rape.
As of this writing, Harden has not publicly addressed the Texas-filed suit.
To be clear, the former Rockets player is not accused of assault in the complaint. Instead, namely, Harden is argued to be “vicariously liable” for the alleged behavior of his security team.
“Mr. Harden is vicariously liable for the actions of his guards and their corporate employer,” the complaint states.
In a statement shared Monday, Watley said she’s “puzzled” by the alleged behavior of Harden’s security team on the day in question, adding that it’s “painful to imagine that this all could have been stopped in time.”
Watley’s legal team, including attorneys from Wigdor LLP and Ellwanger Henderson, said in a joint statement that the alleged rape “was immediately reported to the police.”
