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During the 2021 MLB season, Trevor Bauer faced serious allegations of sexual assault that he strongly denied.
After a lengthy investigation into his conduct, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office decided against pressing charges against the Dodgers pitcher. In a statement, the DA’s office explained that they were unable to prove the allegations beyond a reasonable doubt:
Umpire Ted Barrett #65 checks the hat and glove of Trevor Bauer #27 of the Los Angeles Dodgers for foreign substances after the first inning against the San Francisco Giants at Dodger Stadium on June 28, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Meg Oliphant/Getty Images)
"After a thorough review of the available evidence, including the civil restraining order proceedings, witness statements and the physical evidence, the People are unable to prove the relevant charges beyond a reasonable doubt."
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Major League Baseball however, issued a two-year ban after their investigation, which Bauer is contesting.
In relation to the charges being dropped, Bauer filed a defamation lawsuit against his accuser, saying that she "fabricated allegations of sexual assault," "pursued bogus criminal and civil actions," "made false and malicious statements" and "generated a media blitz based on her lies" in an effort to "destroy" Bauer’s reputation, "garner attention for herself" and "extract millions of dollars."
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Bauer’s suit also explains that the damage to his career has been "extreme," and that the motivations for the accuser were to destroy his reputation:
Trevor Bauer #27 of the Los Angeles Dodgers throws the first pitch of the game against the San Francisco Giants at Dodger Stadium on June 28, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Meg Oliphant/Getty Images)
"[The accuser’s] motives for making her false claims and statements are now clear. She wanted to destroy Mr. Bauer’s reputation and baseball career, garner attention for herself, and extract millions of dollars from Mr. Bauer. [The accuser] was aided in those efforts by her attorney, Defendant Niranjan Fred Thiagarajah. Although a Los Angeles Superior Court Judge rejected [the accuser’s] false allegations and theDistrict Attorney for Los Angeles County found them unworthy of criminal charges, the damage to Mr. Bauer has been extreme."
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Now, Bauer’s accuser is contradicting those assertions, denying in her response that her allegations were not "false, fabricated or bogus."
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The filing also denies that the accusations were not "misleading" or "defamatory," and that photos of her condition were "altered or filtered."
Trevor Bauer #27 of the Los Angeles Dodgers looks on during the sixth inning against the San Francisco Giants at Dodger Stadium on June 28, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Meg Oliphant/Getty Images)
The conclusion of Bauer’s defamation lawsuit and his appeal of MLB’s suspension are yet to be seen.
But the lack of charges and the removal of the restraining order against him seem to indicate that MLB’s punishment was unjustifiable.
If Bauer is able to prove that the allegations were defamatory, that would go a long way towards clearing his name entirely, given how hard defamation is to prove.
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As things stand, there’s a non-zero chance he never pitches in MLB again, so this lawsuit could be a significant turning point for his future career opportunities.
It’s not surprising that the accuser is contradicting his allegations, but it indicates that there’s a long ways to go before this situation is resolved.
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