Report: Woman Details Assault by Trevor Bauer in Restraining Order
Editor’s note: This story has been updated with more information about the specific type of restraining order issued against Bauer and a July 23 hearing in which he'll be able to respond to the allegations against him.
Dodgers pitcher Trevor Bauer is under investigation for assaulting a woman earlier this year. Details of the alleged abuse have come to light in a report by Brittany Ghiroli and Katie Strang of The Athletic that describe two incidents in which Bauer assaulted the survivor.
The woman reportedly has filed a domestic violence ex parte restraining order against Bauer. The 67-page document was executed on June 28 and reportedly contains graphic images of the assaults.
An ex parte is a temporary restraining order that does not allow the accused a chance to immediately respond in court. Instead, the accused is notified of the allegations and given a formal hearing and opportunity to respond at a later date to refute any allegations. Bauer’s representatives confirmed to Sports Illustrated that they will take part in a hearing scheduled for July 23. No formal charges have been filed.
According to the report, Bauer and the 27-year-old woman met on Instagram and, after exchanging messages, met in person on April 21 in Los Angeles. The two had sex that the woman says began as consensual. Bauer then asked whether the woman had ever been choked. When she said yes, he put his fingers down her throat "in an aggressive manner."
Bauer eventually stopped, but she said he then began choking her again with her own hair without her consent, which caused her to lose consciousness.
After an unknown period of time, the woman woke up to find Bauer penetrating her anally, which she said she did not consent to at any time.
The woman went to the bathroom and was bleeding from her anus while having difficulty walking. In the report, she describes her decision to stay at Bauer's house overnight, saying, "In my state at that time, I did not think Trevor was a threat to do anything against my will for the remainder of the night.”
In the morning, she told Bauer she did not enjoy the incident from the previous night, which Bauer "seemed to understand."
The report also states that the woman returned to Bauer's house May 15 and, at Bauer's request, the two agreed to use a "safe word." About five minutes into sex, Bauer began to choke her again, causing her to lose consciousness. When she regained consciousness, Bauer was punching her in the head, she said.
“This was the first punch I felt but it is very possible that Trevor had already been punching and scratching the right side of my face while I was unconscious," the report states. "Trevor then punched me hard with a closed fist to the left side of my jaw, the left side of my head, and both cheekbones. I remember this vividly and it was extremely startling and painful. I was absolutely frozen and terrified. I could not speak or move. After punching me several times, he then flipped me back onto my stomach and began choking me with hair. I lost consciousness again.”
The woman provided pictures of herself after the assault to the court, according to The Athletic, which show her face "visibly bruised and swollen, including under both of her eyes. She also has a swollen jaw, bloodied lip and scratches to the side of her face."
The woman underwent two medical examinations—one at the Alvarado Hospital Medical Center in San Diego on May 16, and another at Palomar Health in Escondido. At the first hospital trip, she spoke to San Diego Police Department detectives and reportedly downplayed the what happened, saying in her declaration, "I was afraid what Trevor would do if he found out. I remain afraid that Trevor will find me and hurt me for going to the hospital.”
At Palomar Health, she underwent a sexual assault response team (SART) exam that included medical professionals photographing her entire body.
Later, at the instruction of the Pasadena Police Department, she had a recorded phone conversation with Bauer in which she asked him, "What did you do to me when I was unconscious?”
Bauer reportedly said he punched her in the buttocks but did not address any subsequent comments on the subject.
The Pasadena Police Department is actively pursuing this case, per The Athletic: "We were notified on or about May 16 and that’s when we began looking into the accusations,” Lt. Bill Grisafe said. “It’s an active investigation.”
The woman said she waited to file the domestic violence restraining order while monitoring how the criminal investigation would unfold, adding, "I am deeply concerned that no arrest has been made or charges filed."
“We anticipate there will be criminal action against Mr. Bauer and it is our hope law enforcement will take our client’s allegations and case seriously,” the woman’s lawyer, Marc Garelick, said in a statement.
Bauer's agent, Jon Fetterolf, also released a statement denying the woman's claims, calling the allegations "baseless (and) defamatory."
"Mr. Bauer had a brief and wholly consensual sexual relationship initiated by [the woman] beginning in April 2021. We have messages that show [the woman] repeatedly asking for 'rough' sexual encounters involving requests to be 'choked out' and slapped in the face," the statement read. "In both of their encounters, [the woman] drove from San Diego to Mr. Bauer’s residence in Pasadena, Calif. where she went on to dictate what she wanted from him sexually and he did what was asked. Following each of her only two meetings with Mr. Bauer, [the woman] spent the night and left without incident, continuing to message Mr. Bauer with friendly and flirtatious banter. In the days following their second and final encounter, [the woman] shared photos of herself and indicated that she had sought medical care for a concussion. Mr. Bauer responded with concern and confusion, and [the woman] was neither angry nor accusatory.
"Mr. Bauer and [the woman] have not corresponded in over a month and have not seen each other in over six weeks. Her basis for filing a protection order is nonexistent, fraudulent, and deliberately omits key facts, information, and her own relevant communications. Any allegations that the pair’s encounters were not 100% consensual are baseless, defamatory, and will be refuted to the fullest extent of the law."