Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Trevor Bauer sued the woman who accused him of sexual assault in federal court on Monday, in a move that came less than three months after prosecutors decided not to file criminal charges against him. The athlete.
The San Diego woman, whom the pitcher had met through social media, had alleged that Bauer beat and sexually assaulted her last year. She later applied for, but was denied, a restraining order against him. Los Angeles prosecutors said in February that there was insufficient evidence to prove the woman’s allegations beyond a reasonable doubt.
Bauer named the woman and one of her attorneys, Niranjan Fred Thiagarajah, as defendants in the lawsuit. The Associated Press does not typically identify people who say they have been victims of sexual assault.
“She wanted to destroy Mr. Bauer’s reputation and baseball career, draw attention to herself, and extract millions of dollars from Mr. Bauer,” the suit says.
Thiagarajah and Marc Garelick, another attorney representing the woman, did not immediately respond to requests for comment Monday.
Bauer was placed on administrative leave July 2 under Major League Baseball and the players’ association’s joint domestic violence and sexual assault policy. The license has been repeatedly extended and currently expires on Friday.
Bauer has continued to be paid his $32 million salary while on leave.
After winning his first Cy Young Award with the Cincinnati Reds in 2020, Bauer agreed to a three-year, $102 million contract to join his hometown Dodgers. He didn’t pitch after June 29 and went 8-2 with a 2.59 ERA in 17 appearances. He was paid his $28 million salary last year.
Bauer’s lawsuit states that “the harm to Mr. Bauer has been extreme” after the woman alleged that he had smothered her unconscious, beat her repeatedly, and engaged in nonconsensual anal sex with her during two sexual encounters. last year.
The pitcher has repeatedly said that everything that happened between the two was consensual on nights they spent together last April and May at his Pasadena home. He said the two of them had rough sex at her suggestion and followed the guidelines they agreed upon beforehand. Each encounter ended with them joking around and her spending the night.
Last month, Bauer filed a defamation lawsuit against The Athletic and a former reporter, accusing them of “creating and spreading the false narrative” that he fractured the woman’s skull.
“We rely on our report and plan to defend against the claim,” Athletic spokesman Taylor Patterson previously said in a statement.
