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Daily Mail
3 hours ago
- Daily Mail
NBA icon James Harden embroiled in rape case with nephew accused of sexually assaulting woman at his NYE party
Los Angeles Clippers basketball star James Harden has been hit with a bombshell lawsuit by a woman who claims she was sexually assaulted by the athlete's nephew after attending a New Year's Eve party at his mansion. Texas real estate agent Marisa Watley, 40, claims she was raped by Justice Armani Blackburn - the son of Harden's sister Arnique Jelks - following the party in Harris County, Texas on December 31, 2024. While only Blackburn is accused of sexual assault, his uncle has also been named in the complaint, alleging that his security team were aware that several women were passed out from intoxication in the house and that she was in a vulnerable condition. The complaint also claims that the security 'was aware that Mr. Blackburn had engaged in criminal conduct towards others' on the night in question. Harden has been sued for negligence after his team 'recklessly failed to protect Ms. Watley' on his own property, and 'the result was sexual assault from which she will suffer indefinitely,' the suit adds. has reached out to James Harden's agent Troy Payne and the Los Angeles Clippers for comment. According to the lawsuit, Watley was out with two of her friends at a restaurant when the trio became aware of a party happening at a nearby club called Polekatz. When they arrived, one of her friends is said to have pointed out at around 3:30am that Harden was there with his group in the VIP section. Soon after the same friend learned of an after party happening at the NBA legend's home. Watley then claims she got into an Uber with her two friends without knowing the destination, before they arrived at Harden's property. 'There was at least one security guard at the gate, and a guard was reviewing guest identification and instructing the guests to leave their phones in their cards,' the suit reads. 'Of course, Ms. Watley could not do this because she had come in an Uber." According to the complaint, it is believed the guard, who checked Watley and her friends' identification before directing them to go into the 'studio' area of Harden's pad, was armed with a gun. Blackburn allegedly approached the three women at some point in the early morning, though Watley claims she initially did not know he was Harden's nephew. Having introduced himself, Blackburn is said to have offered the trio a drink from the bottle of liquor he was holding, and after they each took a small sip from the bottle Watley claims her memory from that point onwards is hazy. She also recalls another woman asleep on a couch in the studio. She also alleges in the complaint that Blackburn repeatedly said to her 'come on, come on' while tapping her on the chest, as though he wanted her to join him somewhere urgently. The next thing she remembers, according to the lawsuit, is 'being shocked into consciousness while lying face down on a bed with a man behind her having aggressive sex with her.' Watley claims she was in a 'dream-like state and was not fully awake' at the time of the alleged rape. As he then neared an orgasm, Blackburn is accused of demanding to know if she was on birth control. She recalls saying 'no, no, no' repeatedly before realizing the man having sex with her was Blackburn. The plaintiff says in the complaint that she then began frantically looking for her phone and asking him where it was. Blackburn allegedly indicated that he did not know its whereabouts. Watley claims one of Harden's security guards entered the room shortly after and ordered her to leave the mansion, before he kicked her out before she could find her phone. After telling him that she had no way of traveling without a phone she alleges the guard told her that 'Elaina' - which is her sister's name - was coming to pick her up, though it is unclear how that had been arranged. He then walked her to the front gates and closed them behind her. Watley claims in the compaint that she stopped a woman walking her dog and Harden's neighbor for help after leaving the property, before her two friends pulled up in a car and she quickly got in. She was then finally able to call her sister at around 2:30pm. The Texas woman alleges that she went to an emergency room on the same day after struggling to recover mentally from what occurred, and she now speaks with a heavy stutter - a symptom of severe trauma. With the help of her sister, she is now seeking therapy and psychiatric help. Harden, who has an estimated net worth of $200million, is now facing allegations of negligence after Watley claimed his security personnel deliberately delayed and prevented her rescue from the property. Her two friends are understood to have been frantically engaged for several hours in efforts to find and rescue her, having also lost consciousness shortly after drinking from Blackburn's bottle before later waking up, according to the complaint. When they demanded the security guards let them look for their friend, they claim one of the guards refused and told them there were no more women in the house, the lawsuit says. Despite missing personal items themselves, and not being allowed to look for them, one of Watley's friends found her iPhone and took it with her. After using her phone to get in touch with Elaina, according to the complaint, Watley's sister contacted a friend who was able to speak with Harden's sister Arnique. Through the mutual friend, Elaina is said to have threatened that Watley's friends were prepared to call the police if she was not found. Harden's security team are said to have then kicked Watley out of the mansion shortly after.
New York Times
9 hours ago
- Sport
- New York Times
NBA star James Harden sued for alleged negligence in sexual assault case
Los Angeles Clippers guard James Harden has been accused of negligence in a civil complaint filed in Harris County, Texas, that also includes allegations of sexual assault against Harden's nephew, Justice Armani Blackburn. The complaint, which was filed on Monday, derives from actions that are alleged to have occurred at Harden's New Year's party at his home in Houston, Texas. The plaintiff, Marisa Watley, alleges that Blackburn raped her at the party while she was unconcious. Watley also alleges negligence against Harden due to the conduct of his in-home security staff on the morning of New Year's Day. Advertisement The lawsuit, which was obtained by The Athletic, was filed with the Harris County District Clerk. Watley demands a jury trial and economic, compensatory and punitive damages, according to the lawsuit. Harden's representatives declined to comment on the lawsuit when contacted by The Athletic on Monday. The lawsuit says that Harden is 'vicariously liable for the actions of his guards and their corporate employer,' who were also named defendants in the case. Watley and two of her friends, listed as witnesses with the pseudonyms of Jane and Emily in the complaint, attended the New Year's party after a night out at a gentleman's club in Houston, according to the lawsuit. Upon learning of an after-party at Harden's residence, Watley and her friends took an Uber to the home. The three women were invited into Harden's 'studio' upon arrival, according to the suit, where Blackburn approached them and offered them a drink from a bottle. They subsequently passed out. Watley's memory then became 'extremely hazy,' and she recalls Blackburn urgently wanting her to join him somewhere. Watley next remembers being 'shocked into consciousness' during the assault, during which she was 'in a dream-like state' and 'not fully awake,' according to the complaint. Watley says her friends were later removed by Harden's security, though Watley was still inside the residence. The friends then contacted Watley's sister, who then, through a friend, contacted Harden's sister, who is the mother of Blackburn. The lawsuit says the sister submitted a photo of Watley to Harden's security, who, according to the complaint, then lied and said the woman inside the house was not Watley. After being escorted out of the mansion and denied in their efforts to get back inside and look for their friend, Jane and Emily saw Harden driving out through the gates. The complaint alleges that shortly before Harden's exit, there were at least three women passed out in plain sight within the house, with Watley passed out in a bedroom. It also alleges that an additional group of women was ejected from the home about the time Harden left. Advertisement '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 said in a statement. 'I hope this complaint pushes security employees generally to act more responsibly when women are in danger.' 'Ms. Watley has shown great strength and courage in coming forward to hold Mr. Blackburn and Mr. Harden accountable for what happened to her on New Year's Day 2025 in Mr. Harden's mansion,' Watley's attorney's Michael J. Willemin and John S. Crain, of Wigdor LLP, and Jay Ellwanger and Kaylyn Betts, of Ellwanger Henderson, said in a statement. 'This rape was immediately reported to the police, and we will bring Mr. Blackburn and Mr. Harden to justice through the civil justice system.' Harden, 35, is an 11-time All-Star who just finished his second season with the Clippers. The Athletic's Law Murray contributed to this story.
