DA Decides Not To Charge Dodgers Pitcher Trevor Bauer After Allegations Of Sexual Assault

Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Trevor Bauer will not face criminal charges after a woman accused him last year of violently sexually assaulting her on two separate occasions.

The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office announced on Tuesday that they had opted not to file charges against the baseball player after finding there was insufficient evidence to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that a crime had occurred, according to a declination statement obtained by Oxygen.com.

The decision comes after a five-month investigation into the woman’s allegations.

“After a thorough review of all 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,” prosecutors said.

Although Bauer will not face criminal charges, he could still face suspension by Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred, who has yet to reach any conclusions about the case, according to The Los Angeles Times.

“MLB’s investigation is ongoing, and we will comment further at the appropriate time,” the organization said in statement shortly after the district attorney’s decision was announced.

Bauer was placed on paid leave from the MLB on July 2 of last year pending an investigation after the allegations made by the San Diego woman were made public. The woman alleged that Bauer had violently sexually assaulted her on two separate occasions, repeatedly choking her and punching her in the face, according to a statement to obtain a protection order previously obtained by Oxygen.com.

After one of the encounters, the woman said she was left with two black eyes, a swollen jaw, bruising throughout her body and had starting vomiting later the next day. She also provided medical records from doctors that had diagnosed her with “assault by manual strangulation” and an “acute head injury,” the local paper reports.

Although the woman said she consented to having sex with the baseball star, she said the alleged abuse that occurred during the sex was not consensual.

A judge denied the woman's request for a five-year restraining order against Bauer in August.

Bauer addressed the allegations in a video statement Tuesday, insisting that the contact between the pair had been consensual.

“I'm sure you've read a lot in the media on this matter, and I'm sure you've formed a lot of opinions as a result. As I mentioned, the majority of those reports are based on what the Los Angeles Superior Court has deemed to be a ‘materially misleading’ petition, so I'd like to set the record straight on what actually happened,” he said according to a transcript obtained by Oxygen.com. “I had consensual sex with this woman on two occasions at my residence in Pasadena, during which we engaged in rough sex. This is something that she brought up, we discussed together, and both agreed to engage in. We established rules and boundaries and I followed them.”

Bauer also refuted the allegations against him.

“While this is not the time or the place to address every single lie or falsehood that this woman or her lawyers made to the court, I do want to be crystal clear about a few things. I never punched this woman in the face. I never punched her in the vagina. I never scratched her face. I never had anal sex with her or sodomized her in any way,” he said. “I never assaulted her in any way at any time. While we did have consensual rough sex, the disturbing acts and conduct that she described simply did not occur.”

Bauer went on to say that when the woman left his home after their second and final encounter, she “certainly did not look anything like the photos that were later attached to her family court declaration.”

“You may not be my biggest fan or agree with everything I’ve said over the years, and that’s ok – I’m not a perfect person,” he continued. “If you want to judge me for engaging in rough sex with a woman that I hardly knew, that’s ok too. In evaluating my life over recent months, it's clear I've made some poor choices, particularly in regards to the people that I've chosen to associate with, but I am not the person that this woman, her lawyers, and certain members of the media have painted me to be.”

While he said that he agreed that the allegations should have been investigated thoroughly he described the last few months as being an “extremely challenging time” for him.

“I’m relieved to finally be able to share the truth with you,” he said at the conclusion of the video. “Thanks for hearing me out and I’ll see you all soon.”

Bauer could still be suspended by Manfred under baseball’s domestic violence and sexual assault policy, even if no criminal charges are ever filed against him.

Dodgers pitcher Julio Urias was suspended for 20 games in 2019 after he was arrested on suspicion of misdemeanor domestic battery against his girlfriend, even though no charges were ever filed, The Los Angeles Times reports.

Bauer’s accuser could also still decide to pursue a civil case against him.