Los Angeles Dodgers' Trevor Bauer files lawsuit vs. woman who accused him of sexual assault

Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Trevor Bauer filed suit Monday against the San Diego woman who accused him of sexual assault, claiming defamation and tortious interference while seeking unspecified monetary and punitive damages.

In the suit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, Bauer's attorneys say that the woman «fabricated allegations of sexual assault,» «pursued bogus criminal and civil actions,» «made false and malicious statements» and «generated a media blitz based on her lies» in an effort to «destroy» Bauer's reputation, «garner attention for herself» and «extract millions of dollars.»

In a petition seeking a domestic violence restraining order (DVRO) that was granted on June 28, 2021, the woman — whom ESPN has chosen not to name — said Bauer took consensual rough sex too far during two encounters at his Pasadena, California, home in April and May 2021, alleging that he choked her unconscious on multiple occasions, sodomized her without consent and punched her all over her body, leaving her with injuries that prompted medical attention.

Bauer and his attorneys have firmly denied the accusations, calling them «fraudulent» and «baseless.»

The woman was denied a permanent restraining order following a four-day hearing in August, and five months later, in February 2022, the L.A. County District Attorney's Office decided not to pursue criminal charges against Bauer. But Major League Baseball, which has the autonomy to suspend players for «just cause» under its domestic violence policy, is still investigating Bauer, who recently had his administrative leave extended through Friday.

In the suit, Bauer's attorneys deny that he engaged in anal sex with the woman and also deny that he