Former Dodgers Pitcher Trevor Bauer and Accuser Settle Civil Lawsuits
No Financial Exchange in Settlement Between Bauer and San Diego Woman
Former Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Trevor Bauer and the San Diego woman who accused him of sexual assault have reached a settlement in their civil lawsuits. The resolution comes after an investigation by Major League Baseball (MLB) led to Bauer’s unprecedented suspension from the league. Notably, no money was exchanged between the two parties.
The woman alleged that Bauer sexually assaulted her during two encounters in the spring of 2021, which resulted in Bauer being placed on administrative leave in July of that year. However, the woman was denied a permanent restraining order by the Los Angeles Superior Court, and the district attorney’s office declined to file criminal charges against Bauer. Despite this, MLB conducted its own investigation and handed Bauer a 324-game suspension in April 2022, the longest ever under its domestic violence policy.
In December of the same year, an independent arbitrator reduced Bauer’s suspension to 194 games and ruled for his reinstatement. Subsequently, the Dodgers released Bauer, who is currently playing in Japan.
Bauer filed a defamation lawsuit against the woman in April 2022, and she countersued for sexual battery four months later. The court proceedings were scheduled to begin in February, but both parties have now agreed to drop their respective cases. As part of the settlement, Lindsey Hill, the woman who accused Bauer, will receive $300,000 from her insurance company, which will be sent to her lawyers’ offices.
In a joint statement, Bauer’s attorneys, Jon Fetterolf and Shawn Holley, confirmed the settlement and stated that both parties have withdrawn their claims. They emphasized that Bauer has never made any payments to Hill and can now fully focus on his baseball career.
It is worth noting that ESPN did not previously disclose the woman’s name, as is their policy when reporting on sexual assault cases. However, her legal team has now identified her in comments made on Monday.
In a statement, one of Hill’s attorneys, Bryan Freedman, explained that Bauer sued Hill for defamation, but the resolution turned out to be favorable for Hill. He clarified that Hill did not pay anything to Bauer, and she received the $300,000 settlement from her insurance company. Freedman added that now that the lawsuit is over, Hill looks forward to helping others.
Bauer released a video on YouTube, lasting nearly four minutes, in which he claimed that Hill’s legal team repeatedly approached him for a financial settlement, which he consistently declined. He also alleged that his legal team discovered additional cell phone material, including a video of Hill lying in bed next to him while he was sleeping, smirking at the camera on the morning after the second alleged incident. Bauer believes this video provides crucial evidence to “clear his name.”
Hill’s initial declaration for a temporary restraining order included documentation of her diagnosis at a San Diego-area hospital, which revealed an acute head injury and assault by manual strangulation, among other injuries. The forensic nurse examiner who performed the examination testified that the bruising she documented outside the woman’s vagina was unlike anything she had seen in her 40-plus years of experience.
Bauer expressed relief that the matter is now resolved and stated his desire to focus on his baseball career, winning games, and entertaining fans worldwide.