Bauer appears in court to fight sexual assault allegations

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Trevor Bauer appeared in court Friday to fight the extension of a protective order sought by a woman who says he choked her to the point where she lost consciousness and punched her during two sexual encounters earlier this year.

Attorneys for Bauer and for the woman revealed during a short court session that they intend to call several witnesses, including Bauer, and argue over the order in what amounts to a trial that is expected to last three days.

Judge Dianna Gould-Saltman delayed the beginning of that hearing until Aug. 2 because Bauer’s attorney, Shawn Holley, said she was given the woman’s witness list late and had insufficient time to prepare.

“We came here ready, but ready on what had been presented to us,” Holley said in court.

Gould-Saltman ruled that Bauer will need to take the stand and must decline to answer possibly incriminating questions one at a time as is standard in civil proceedings like this one. She declined Holley’s request to let him avoid testifying altogether. Holley said she was strongly advising Bauer against saying anything.

Police in Pasadena, California, are also investigating the allegations for possible criminal charges, so avoiding self-incrimination is essential for his legal team.

The judge extended the temporary restraining order keeping Bauer from making any contact with the woman until the full hearing is completed.

The pitcher’s agents, Jon Fetterolf and Rachel Luba, have disputed the allegations. Fetterolf said in a statement that the pair’s brief relationship was “wholly consensual.” The statement said Bauer has messages from the woman asking for the kind of “rough” sexual interactions they had.

Major League Baseball put Bauer on paid leave on July 2 under the joint domestic violence, sexual assault and child abuse policy adopted by MLB and the players’ union in 2015. The leave has been extended through July 27 and could be extended further.

The woman, who is from San Diego, said in court documents seeking the order that she and Bauer met on Instagram when she tagged him in a photo while he pitched during a game against the Padres in May.

She later visited his home in Pasadena and had sexual encounters that began as consensual but grew violent without her consent, the documents said.

The second incident, in which she alleges Bauer repeatedly punched her, left her with two black eyes, a bloodied swollen lip, significant bruising and scratching to one side of her face. She included photographs showing the injuries.

The documents say she sought the order because Bauer was repeatedly calling and texting her after the second encounter to ask if she was OK, and she wanted no more contact with him.

Bauer’s agents said he hadn’t made any contact with her in a month when the restraining order was first sought, making the move baseless.

The Associated Press does not typically identify people who say they have been victims of sexual assault.

Bauer agreed to a $102 million, three-year contract to join his hometown Dodgers earlier this year after winning his first Cy Young with the Cincinnati Reds last season. Bauer is 8-5 with a 2.59 ERA in 17 starts this season.

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Andrew Dalton, The Associated Press