James Harden Facing Lawsuit As Woman Claims Negligence After Assault

Los Angeles Clippers superstar guard James Harden finds himself in hot water after being named in a lawsuit as a defendant.

James Harden Facing Lawsuit As Woman Claims Negligence After Assault

James Harden named in lawsuit (Image via FirstSportz)

Once James Harden is done working for 8 months a year, he tends to his other activities in the offseason. The Los Angeles Clippers superstar is a businessman with a keen eye for the next best deal. At the same time, he also builds connections through social gatherings.

Most of those social gatherings are usually parties that the former league MVP organizes. He usually attends Michael Rubin‘s White party or parties organized by other celebrities. When it is his turn, Harden is known to go all out when it comes to welcoming his guests.

He does organize parties during the season for special occasions. For instance, New Year’s Eve parties are the norm. Harden organized one to celebrate the New Year at his mansion in Houston. That party has now turned into a headache for the 35-year-old.

A woman named Marisa Watley has filed a lawsuit in which James Harden is a defendant. As per the documents, Watley claims she was s**ually assaulted by Justice Armani Blackburn, Harden’s nephew, at the party.

The lawsuit claims that the Clippers guard’s security removed Watley’s friends but failed to locate and protect her. Those friends contacted Harden’s sister, Blackburn’s mother, to help Watley. The lawsuit claims that even though she sent Watley’s photo with security, they denied she was inside the mansion.

Marisa Watley is suing the 11-time All-Star for negligence, as the calls for help from Watley’s friends were acted upon irresponsibly. Had the in-house security located the woman, the assault could have been avoided.

James Harden might have to stand trial if lawsuit goes to court

Generally most lawsuits of this kind are civil and tend to be settled outside of court. In this case, Marisa Watley wants the suit to go to trial, so that a jury can decide on what she can get out of Justice Armani Blackburn and James Harden.

Watley is seeking economic, compensatory, and punitive damages. If the suit does go to trial, chances of this blowing up are highly possible. Some NBA stars have stood trial for civil lawsuits, the most recent being Ja Morant.

However, the fallout of it can get ugly and impact their careers. In James Harden’s case, he can plead that it was the security company that was at fault. However, Watley’s attorneys could swing the onus back onto the Los Angeles Clippers star based on accountability.

Considering Blackburn is Harden’s nephew, the superstar could be held liable if the attorneys prove that he had asked the security to be lenient towards his family. Watley has claimed via a statement that she wants security personnel to attend to such matters responsibly.

James Harden and Clippers’ success will depend on health

Whatever the outcome of this civil lawsuit, James Harden will be looking to get into top shape ahead of the 2025-26 season. The star guard and his Los Angeles Clippers were one of the better teams heading into this past postseason.

Clippers' 2025-26 season rests on the health of their players
Clippers’ 2025-26 season rests on the health of their players (Image via LA Clippers/X)

However, they could not defeat the Denver Nuggets in their 1st round 7 game series. That should give them motivation to go one better this upcoming season. The most important factor that surrounds those ambitions is health.

Teammate Kawhi Leonard has become the butt of jokes when it comes to staying healthy over a full season. His unavailability has cost the Clippers postseason runs for five straight seasons. They hope both Leonard and Harden can stay healthy enough this time around.

Also Read: