James Harden, his nephew named in sexual assault & negligence lawsuit

HARRIS COUNTY, Texas - A lawsuit has been filed in Harris County against LA Clippers guard James Harden and his nephew, Justice Armani Blackburn, for negligence and sexual assault, respectively.

The complaint was filed on behalf of Marisa Watley by Wigdor law firm and details how Blackburn sexually assaulted her at Harden's home after a New Year's Eve party.

Lawsuit details alleged rape at James Harden's home

The backstory:

According to the lawsuit, Watley had gone out to a restaurant with her two friends around 10:45 p.m. on Dec. 31, 2024.

The three women decided to go to a party at a club called Polekatz which they learned about from a friend of one of the other women.

At this club, it is reported Watley and her friends saw Harden in the VIP section. The women learned there would be an after-party at his home and went. Court records stated Watley originally thought her and her friends were going home.

Guests who arrived at the home were directed to a "studio" in Harden's apartment, documents state.

Blackburn approached the woman and started an introductory conversation with them, the lawsuit claims. At some point, he offered the three women a drink from the bottle he was holding, and they all took small sips.

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The court record stated Watley's memory became hazy, and she was fading in and out of consciousness. She recalled Blackburn telling her to "come on, come on" and having her brought somewhere.

Watley says she woke up to Blackburn aggressively sexually assaulting her and he asked if she was on birth control. She remembered saying "no, no, no" and eventually Blackburn stopped.

During this time, records say Watley's friends had been kicked out of the home without their personal belongings by Harden's security, despite them saying Watley was still inside the home. The two women were able to find Watley's phone, which they used to contact Watley's sister, Elaina, who was able to get in touch with Blackburn's mother and Harden's sister through a friend.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JUNE 21: James Harden speaks onstage during Fanatics Fest NYC 2025 at Javits Center on June 21, 2025 in New York City. (Photo by Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images)

The lawsuit states the two friends saw Harden driving out of the front gates of his home. Before he left, the document states, at least three women, including Watley's two friends, were passed out in plain sight. Another group of women were reportedly being removed from the home by security while Harden drove away from his home.

At this time, Watley's friends told Elaina they had found their belongings and were leaving Harden's home. Once they made it back, they called her from Watley's phone and said Watley's car was still at the friend's apartment, so she must be inside Harden's home.

The court document states Blackburn's mother got in touch with Harden's security, who looked through the home and told Blackburn's mother there was a "girl in Justice's room", but they did not know who it was.

Watley's sister sent a photo to her friend who was able to get it to the security guards, but the lawsuit claims the security guards lied to Blackburn's mother and said the girl with Blackburn was not Watley.

After Watley's sister told everyone she was calling the police, the lawsuit states Harden's security then changed their answer and told Harden's sister Watley was in Blackburn's room. Blackburn's mother informed the friend Watley had been found and asked, "Why is your friend in that room with a 27-year-old loser?"

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Elaina reportedly told Watley's friends how to pick her up from Harden's mansion.

The complaint states around this time was when Blackbrun had just raped Watley and security finally took action to get her out of the home. She looked for her phone, which was with her friends, but security eventually kicked her out of the home. According to Watley, the security guard said her sister was coming to pick her up.

Watley asked a woman walking her dog for help, and she called her father, who lived across the street from Harden. The woman's father brought a phone, and she used Instagram to message her sister around 2:17 p.m. since she did not have any numbers memorized, documents state.

A short time later, Watley's two friends pulled up in a car and Watley was able to use her phone to call her sister.

According to court records, Watley went to an emergency room the same day and has been struggling to recover mentally.