Former Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Trevor Bauer lost his legal fight against Deadspin after a New York judge threw out his defamation lawsuit against the sports media outlet.
Bauer, who faced allegations of sexual misconduct that resulted in a lengthy MLB suspension, had filed suit against Deadspin and its managing editor Chris Baud in March 2022.
The pitcher argued that Deadspin had defamed him by publishing a claim that the San Diego-based woman who accused him of sexual assault had suffered a skull fracture during one of their encounters.
US District Court Judge Paul Crotty ruled Wednesday that Bauer’s claims were “premised on nonactionable statements” and dismissed the defamation suit with prejudice – meaning the former Cy Young winner is prohibited from refiling the case.
The judge’s ruling noted medical records indicated the accuser had “sustained significant head and facial trauma” during the incident and displayed signs consistent with a skull fracture – though a CT scan later showed no fracture had occurred.
“Whether those injuries included a skull fracture or simply ‘significant head and facial trauma’ and bruising does not change the nature of the accusations, nor would it produce a different effect on the mind of the reader,” Crotty said.
Crotty also rejected Bauer’s assertion that the victim’s purported skull fracture was “self-reported.”
Bauer has denied wrongdoing and asserted that his encounters with the women were consensual. He has not been charged with a crime.
The Post has reached out to Bauer’s attorneys for comment on the ruling.
Julie DiCaro, Deadspin’s interim editor-in-chief, lauded the judge’s decision in a blog post titled, “Trevor Bauer sued us – and lost.”
“We at Deadspin are heartened by the decision and remain committed to reporting on and exposing violence against women by athletes, no matter how famous,” DiCaro said.
Bauer filed a total of six defamation lawsuits related to coverage of the allegations of sexual misconduct against him.
Of the six lawsuits, three have already been dismissed, according to the Los Angeles Times. A fourth suit against “The Athletic” writer Molly Knight was allowed to continue, though her legal team has appealed.
Bauer was given an unprecedented two-season suspension without pay last year under MLB’s domestic violence policy. The suspension was shortened after an independent arbitrator reinstated Bauer last December.
The Dodgers released Bauer in January. He remains a free agent.
Bauer lost more than $37 million in pay during the suspension.
With Post wires
[Written in collaboration with other media outlets with information from the following sources]
