Dodgers pitcher Trevor Bauer announced Monday that he has filed a defamation lawsuit against the San Diego woman who accused him of sexual assault.
Bauer also named one of the woman’s attorneys, Fred Thiagarajah, in the lawsuit, alleging he made “knowingly false statements” about the player in the media.
The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, Bauer said on Twitter.
Bauer currently has a pending defamation lawsuit against The Athletic and former reporter Molly Knight.
The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office earlier this year decided not to pursue criminal charges against Bauer, citing insufficient evidence.
The fate of the Cy Young-winning pitcher remains unknown, as Major League Baseball has extended his leave through April 29.
He last pitched June 29, 2021, just months after the Dodgers acquired him from the Cincinnati Reds.
The woman accused Bauer of choking her into unconsciousness, punching her repeatedly and having anal sex with her without her consent during two sexual encounters at his home in Pasadena.
Bauer denied the allegations, saying the two engaged in rough sex at her suggestion and followed guidelines they agreed to in advance. Each encounter ended with them joking and her spending the night, Bauer has said.
The allegations came to light last summer, when the woman sought a protective order against the pitcher. She said in court documents that the two had met on Instagram when she tagged him in a photo while he pitched during a game against the San Diego Padres.
A judge denied an extension to the protective order.
The Pasadena Police Department opened up a criminal investigation against Bauer, which was reviewed by the DA’s Office, but ultimately prosecutors determined there wasn’t enough evidence to win a conviction.