Warning: This story contains descriptions of violence.
LOS ANGELES — A Los Angeles judge on Thursday ruled in favor of Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Trevor Bauer, rescinding a restraining order that had been in force against him since late June after a woman accused him of assaulting her in his home this year.
The decision came after more than nine hours of testimony by the accuser in a court hearing to determine whether the restraining order was warranted based on the evidence. Judge Dianna Gould-Saltman concluded the answer was no.
Bauer did not testify at the hearing as the judge ruled he did not have to take the stand. The judge asked Bauer if he intended to invoke the Fifth Amendment. “Yes, your Honor,” he said.
In explaining her decision, the judge said Bauer did not exceed the limits the accuser had set during sex. She added that she found the accuser’s June declaration for her temporary restraining order “materially misleading.” The judge referenced a text message the accuser had sent Bauer, where the woman said she “wanted all the pain.”
The judge further noted that Bauer stopped when the accuser told him to stop during sex, saying, “He didn’t cross the boundaries which she expressed to him.”
USA TODAY does not identify individuals who allege sexual crimes without their permission.
During Thursday’s hearing, Bauer’s attorney Shawn Holley said, “I’m sure it was unpleasant and painful,” referring to the sex. But “she (the accuser) asked for these things.”
Bauer remains in limbo on two other serious fronts:
— Pasadena police have been investigating the matter after the accuser said he choked her unconscious during two sexual encounters at his home in Pasadena in April and May and then punched her in the face and vagina during the second encounter.
More:Bauer’s attorney aggressively questions the pitcher’s accuser
More:‘She was the perfect victim for someone like Trevor’
— Major League Baseball is investigating, too, and could discipline him. Bauer has been on paid leave since July 2 after signing a three-year, $102 million contract in February.
The restraining order case came to a head this week with Bauer attending the proceedings every day, backed by his two baseball agents, his attorney and parents.
The woman testified this week that she sought a restraining order in late June because she feared what Bauer might do after he learned she went to the hospital with injuries after the second sexual encounter, including bruises on her face and vagina. The court granted her request for the restraining order then on a temporary basis until the evidence could be weighed by a judge at this hearing.
Bauer has not been arrested or charged. His representatives have said his relations with the woman were consensual and that she is motivated to gain a monetary settlement.
Follow reporter Brent Schrotenboer @Schrotenboer. E-mail: bschrotenb@usatoday.com
The post Dodgers pitcher Trevor Bauer has his restraining order rescinded by judge appeared first on The News Amed.