After two previous postponements, the civil court hearing for Trevor Bauer's domestic violence restraining order proceeded forward Monday. Bauer's attorney's were seeking another continuance, but this time the judge denied the request. As such, opening statements started Monday (via Steve Henson of the L.A. Times). The woman who filed for the protection order and accused Bauer of sexual assault was the first witness and gave more than three hours of testimony.
"I've never been punched in the face ever," the woman said, according to the Associated Press. "I felt like my soul left my body, and I was terrified. I couldn't fight back."
The woman is seeking a five-year restraining order as the police investigate her allegations. She said Monday that Bauer choked her unconscious and punched her during their second encounter.
"I couldn't breathe. It almost felt like I was going to gag. I was gagging for air. Then I went unconscious," the woman said, per the AP. "It took me a while to remember who was even having sex with me, or where I was."
In late June, reports surfaced that a woman in California was seeking legal action against Bauer. She reported some serious injuries in what started as a consensual sexual encounter with Bauer. "I agreed to have consensual sex; however, I did not agree or consent to what he did next. I did not agree to be sexually assaulted," the woman said. The Athletic's full initial report, which includes graphic details from the restraining order, including allegations that Bauer strangled and punched the woman, can be found here.
Attorneys for Bauer -- who was in the courtroom for the woman's testimony -- have stated that everything between Bauer and the woman was consensual and "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."
Bauer, the reigning NL Cy Young Award winner who signed a three-year, $102 million deal with the Dodgers this past offseason, hasn't pitched since the allegations surfaced. MLB placed him on administrative leave while the league and the police investigate the situation. Bauer is paid on administrative leave, but if the league decides to suspend him under the Domestic Violence policy, he would lose his salary.
Dodgers president Andrew Friedman said the following on 710 ESPN radio in Los Angeles Monday: "We're gonna kind of sit back and wait for this to conclude and once it does, obviously, we'll have a lot to say on the matter."
There was also a report over the weekend that a different woman filed a protection order against Bauer in Ohio last year. Bauer responded by saying the woman was trying to extort money from him and accused the Washington Post of taking part in a "false narrative."
