Woman who accused Trevor Bauer of assault denied permanent restraining order
Warning: The following article contains graphic allegations of domestic violence and sexual assault.
A judge denied a woman’s petition for a permanent restraining order against Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Trevor Bauer on Thursday, ESPN reports.
The woman, who was granted a temporary ex parte restraining order in late June, testified for hours across three days this week, saying Bauer choked her to the point of unconsciousness and punched her in the face and vagina without her consent during two sexual encounters earlier this year. The 30-year-old pitcher's representatives have said that the encounters were consensual.
Police in Pasadena are also investigating the allegations, but Bauer has not been arrested or charged.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Dianna Gould-Saltman ruled Thursday that she found no evidence that Bauer was likely to cause future harm or have contact with the woman.
Judge has denied petition for permanent restraining order and dissolves temporary restraining order against Trevor Bauer.
— Tisha Thompson (@TishaESPN) August 19, 2021
Bauer attended the hearings, but did not take the stand, as his representatives told the judge he would invoke the Fifth Amendment due to the Pasadena investigation.
On cross-examination, attorney Shawn Holley — representing Bauer — questioned the woman about many of her text messages, including some she omitted from her complaint, and about why she felt she needed protection. In particular, they pointed out a text in which she said "gimme all the pain" before her second visit with Bauer.
During Wednesday's hearing, per ESPN, the woman responded to the questioning by saying, "To me, text messages do not mean consent. I did not consent to hurting all over my body and being put in the hospital and having things done to me when I was unconscious. That is not consensual."
The Bauer legal team also questioned the woman about relationships with other baseball players and accounts of the encounters she texted to friends.
The judge said Thursday that Bauer "did not exceed limits that the petitioner set."
Gould-Saltman admitted "injuries as shown in the photographs are terrible," but said: "If she set limits and he exceeded them, this case would've been clear. But she set limits without considering all the consequences and respondent did not exceed limits that the petitioner set."
— Alden González (@Alden_Gonzalez) August 19, 2021
The woman was granted the temporary ex parte restraining order in late June after detailing two sexual encounters in April and May that she says turned violent. In the complaint, her representatives presented graphic images of injuries to her head and body.
Bauer's attorneys gave a brief statement after the ruling Thursday.
Shawn Holley, Trevor Bauer’s lead attorney, flanked by Trevor Bauer and another attorney, Jon Fetterolf, gave a brief statement outside the courthouse and took no further questions. … pic.twitter.com/lghLVSxmVo
— Alden González (@Alden_Gonzalez) August 19, 2021
MLB, which is conducting its own investigation into the allegations, placed Bauer on paid administrative leave on July 2 and has extended the leave several times with the consent of the players’ association. According to multiple reports, the MLB and MLBPA agreed again on Thursday to extend his leave that previously expired on Friday through Aug. 27.
Testimony from this week's hearings could still further inform decisions about Bauer's future. Commissioner Rob Manfred is permitted to levy discipline even if no charges are filed, and has done so on several occasions under the league's domestic violence policy.
Reports emerged last week that another woman sought a protective order against Bauer in Ohio in 2020. Bauer’s representatives called those allegations “categorically false.”
Bauer is in the first season of a three-year, $102 million deal with the Dodgers. The team has refrained from publicly commenting about the allegations.
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