Harden has become a defendant! He is accused of negligence in a sexual assault case where his nephew allegedly committed rape at his home.

According to The Athletic on June 24th, a civil suit submitted in Harris County, Texas, accuses Clippers guard James Harden of negligence. The suit also includes allegations of sexual assault against Harden's nephew, Blackburn.

The lawsuit, filed on Monday local time, states that the incident occurred during a New Year's party hosted by Harden at his home in Houston. The plaintiff, Marisa Watley, claims that Blackburn raped her while she was unconscious at the party. Watley also accuses Harden of negligence due to the misconduct of the security personnel at his home on New Year's Day morning.

Court documents show that the case has been submitted to the Harris County District Court clerk. The lawsuit states that Watley is seeking a jury trial and is requesting economic damages, compensatory damages, and punitive damages. On Monday, The Athletic reached out to Harden's representatives, who declined to comment on the lawsuit.

The lawsuit points out that Harden "is liable for the actions of his security personnel and the company they belong to," with the security personnel and their company also named as defendants in the case.

According to the lawsuit, Watley and her two friends (identified in the suit as Jane and Emily) attended the New Year's party after spending the night at a gentleman's club in Houston. After learning about the subsequent party at Harden's residence, Watley and her friends took an Uber to the location. The lawsuit states that once the three women arrived, they were invited into Harden's "studio," where Blackburn approached them and poured drinks from a bottle, causing them to lose consciousness.

诉状称，沃特利的记忆随后变得“极其模糊”，她记得布莱克本急切地想让她去某个地方。接下来她回忆起在被侵犯时“从震惊中醒来”，当时她“处于梦境般的状态”且“未完全清醒”。

Watley states that her friends were later escorted away by Harden's security personnel, while she remained inside the residence. The friends subsequently contacted Watley's sister, who reached out to Harden's sister—Blackburn's mother—through a mutual friend. The lawsuit claims that this sister sent Watley's photo to Harden's security personnel, but they falsely claimed that the woman in the house was not Watley.

After being escorted out of the mansion and denied re-entry to look for her friends, Jane and Emily saw Harden driving out of the gate. The lawsuit states that shortly before Harden left, at least three women inside were visibly unconscious, including Watley, who was passed out in a bedroom. The suit also claims that around the time Harden departed, another group of women was expelled from the residence.

“自新年那天我向警方报案称被布莱克本先生强奸以来，我一直困惑于哈登先生的安保人员当天的行为——想到这一切本可以及时阻止，我就感到痛苦，”沃特利在一份声明中说，“我希望这份诉状能促使安保人员在女性面临危险时更负责任地行动。”

沃特利的律师在一份声明中表示：“沃特利女士挺身而出，要求布莱克本先生和哈登先生为2025年新年当天在哈登先生豪宅中发生的事负责，展现了巨大的勇气和力量。这起强奸案已立即向警方报案，我们将通过民事司法系统将布莱克本先生和哈登先生绳之以法。”

The 35-year-old Harden is an 11-time All-Star player who has just completed his second season with the Clippers.