Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Trevor Bauer was the subject of a temporary protection order sought by a different woman in 2020, according to a new report.
According to Gus Garcia-Roberts and Molly Hensley-Clancy of the Washington Post, an Ohio woman sought a protection order against Bauer in June 2020. Photos obtained by the Post show the woman with a bruised face and bloody eyes, which the woman’s attorney claims was caused by Bauer choking and punching her during sex without her consent. Those allegations are similar to those made by a different woman this year, which led to Bauer being placed on leave by the Dodgers and becoming the subject of a police investigation.
The Post also obtained a police report dating to August 2017, in which the Ohio woman attempted to show officers injuries to her eyes she claimed were caused by Bauer. Bauer contacted police, accusing the woman of assaulting him and then refusing to leave. When police arrived, they found the woman noticeably intoxicated, while Bauer alleged she had struck him and showed officers scratches on his arm as evidence. Bauer declined to press charges.
The woman, who was described by the Post as “an adult but not of legal drinking age,” was ultimately arrested for underage drinking. During the episode, she attempted to show officers pictures on her phone that depicted her with red eyes, which she alleged were caused by Bauer on a previous occasion. The Post viewed pictures that the woman’s attorney claimed were the same ones she had attempted to show police, and that they depicted the corners of her eyes filled with blood up to her irises.
The Post also obtained numerous text messages Bauer allegedly sent the woman. “I don’t feel like spending time in jail for killing someone, and that’s what would happen if I saw you again,” he allegedly wrote in one.
In 2020, the woman ultimately dismissed the protection order after Bauer’s attorneys threatened legal action. She later drafted a civil suit against Bauer, but never filed it.
Bauer’s attorney Jon Fetterolf and agent Rachel Luba issued a statement denying the allegations, describing the woman’s attempt to obtain a restraining order as part of a “pattern of threatening behavior toward Mr. Bauer after numerous requests for her to cease contact.” They also questioned the authenticity of the alleged text messages between Bauer and the woman, despite the fact that Fetterolf pointed to one of the messages to defend Bauer when corresponding with the woman’s attorney last year.
Bauer himself issued a statement on Twitter after the Post story broke, in which he accused the newspaper of “attempting to contact hundreds of female friends and acquaintances … in an attempt to create a false narrative.” He also accused the Post of ignoring information provided by his lawyers “to run a salacious story disseminating defamatory statements, false information, and baseless allegations from a woman who has not only harassed and physically assaulted me but who also attempted to extort me for millions of dollars last year in exchange for her not coming forward with false claims.”
While I have allowed my representatives to speak on my behalf over the last six weeks, I can no longer be silent. I will speak very candidly about the current petition when appropriate, but need to address the allegations made today in The Washington Post. pic.twitter.com/VhDNQyM1cb
— Trevor Bauer (トレバー・バウアー) (@BauerOutage) August 14, 2021
Bauer and his attorneys have made similar accusations about the woman accusing him of sexual assault in California. That case is still being investigated by both Major League Baseball and by the Pasadena Police Department, which has suggested that the investigation is larger than expected. These separate allegations may have something to do with that.
Bauer, who has not pitched since June 28, is on paid administrative leave through at least August 20.
