Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Trevor Bauer will not be charged following allegations that he beat and sexually assaulted a woman he met through social media.
Prosecutors in the case were unable to prove the San Diego woman’s claims beyond a reasonable doubt, Los Angeles County authorities said.
Major League Baseball placed Bauer on paid leave on July 2 under the domestic violence, sexual assault and child abuse policy.
The woman, 27 at the time, accused Bauer of choking her unconscious, punching her repeatedly and having anal sex with her without his consent during two sexual encounters.
Bauer spoke publicly for the first time since the allegations first surfaced on Tuesday. In a seven-minute video posted on Youtubethe 31-year-old fiercely refutes the woman’s claims.
He claims that they had aggressive sex at the request of the woman and that he stuck to what was initially agreed. The pitcher says that the two evenings they spent together ended with friendly discussions.
“The awful things she described just never happened,” he said.
The pitcher mentioned in his video that he wouldn’t address all of the woman’s “lies or incorrect accounts,” in his words, but he denied hitting her in the face and private parts.
He also claims that there was never any anal intercourse.
Bauer’s lawyers had previously indicated that the relationship between their client and the woman in April and May 2021 was consensual.
Major League Baseball and Pasadena Police have investigated the allegations. The police department eventually transferred the case to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office.
Prosecutors have considered filing charges of aggravated assault, sodomy of an unconscious person and domestic violence.
After reviewing physical evidence, witness statements and court proceedings, during which the woman sought a restraining order, prosecutors determined there was insufficient evidence to secure a conviction.
