A Los Angeles Superior Court judge on Tuesday, June 3, ordered a woman who accused former major league pitcher Trevor Bauer of sexual assault to pay him more than $300,000 in damages. The default judgment came after she violated the terms of their settlement agreement.
Why did the judge rule in Trevor Bauer’s favor?
Bauer served the longest suspension for an active MLB player after being accused of sexual assault in 2021 by Lindsey Hill. Her allegations led to an MLB investigation.
The judge made the ruling after Hill’s attorneys sent a letter to Bauer’s attorneys detailing a $300,000 insurance payment she received. The original settlement between the two parties stipulated that neither side would pay any money.
Bauer filed a new lawsuit in October 2024. He alleged Hill violated the agreement by claiming multiple times on social media that she received financial compensation from him. When Hill failed to contest the new suit, Judge Daniel Crowley ruled in Bauer’s favor.
Hill’s accusations in 2021 eventually led to Bauer’s 194-game suspension from the major leagues. No criminal charges were ever filed. The Los Angeles Dodgers released him once he was reinstated in 2023. The Dodgers paid most of the remainder of his $102 million contract.
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Trevor Bauer pitched 10 seasons in MLB before being suspended in 2021. For his career, he has an 83-69 record with a 3.79 ERA and 1,416 strikeouts.
Did Bauer’s accuser respond to the ruling?
After the decision was announced, Hill responded in a post on X, saying she “refused to participate” in this lawsuit in any way, shape or form. She added that he “will never see a cent from me.”
The award included $220,000 for 22 violations of the agreement. The remaining money was requested by Bauer’s attorneys and approved by the judge to cover attorney fees plus interest.
The last pitch thrown in the majors by the former Cy Young winner came on June 28, 2021. Since then, Bauer has pitched in Mexico and Japan, documenting his daily life on YouTube and other social media platforms. His latest video was posted three days ago after an outing for the Yokohama BayStars in the Nippon Baseball League.
“After a slow start to the year, I’ve been pitching a lot better lately. I’m currently 2-3 with a 2.83 ERA in 35 innings pitched,” Bauer said. “But as a reminder, to qualify for the Sawamura [Award], I need to hit certain benchmarks, so I gotta keep the momentum going.”
Will Bauer ever return to Major League Baseball?
Bauer has stated multiple times that he wants another shot at resuming his 10-year career in the major leagues. In addition to the Dodgers, he’s played for the Arizona Diamondbacks, Cleveland Guardians and Cincinnati Reds, where he won the Cy Young award in the COVID-19-shortened 2020 season with a 5-4 record and a 1.73 ERA.
As a free agent, he could sign with any team. However, it seems none want to deal with the media scrutiny that would surround his return. Bauer believes Major League Baseball is blackballing him and has said he’d play for the league’s minimum salary if any team took a chance on him.
