Trevor Bauer files defamation suit against The Athletic

Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Trevor Bauer sued The Athletic and former reporter Molly Knight on Tuesday, accusing them of “creating and spreading the false narrative” that he had fractured a girl’s cranium throughout a sexual encounter.

The 26-page criticism, filed in U.S. District Courtroom in Los Angeles towards The Athletic Media Co. and Knight, alleges two counts of defamation.

A girl obatined a safety order towards Bauer beneath California’s Home Violence Prevention Act final June as the results of an alleged assault that left the girl with “extreme bodily and emotional ache,” mentioned Marc Garelick, the girl’s legal professional.

Los Angeles prosecutors mentioned in February they determined to not cost Bauer, figuring out there was inadequate proof to win a conviction.

The Athletic reported final June 30 that “there have been indicators of a basilar cranium fracture,” citing a declaration by the girl.

The lawsuit says “CT scan outcomes included within the medical data connected to the complainant’s declaration and possessed by The Athletic definitively concluded that she had ‘no acute fracture.’”

Athletic spokesman Taylor Patterson mentioned in an e-mail: “We’re conscious of authorized motion taken by Trevor Bauer. We’re assured in our reporting and plan to defend towards the declare.”

Knight didn’t instantly reply to an e-mail despatched to an tackle on her web site. She introduced she was leaving The Athletic on July 30, 2021.

Bauer mentioned of the girl throughout a video posted on YouTube in February: “The disturbing acts and conduct that she described merely didn’t happen.”

The lawsuit claimed The Athletic and Knight defamed Bauer “by creating and spreading the false narrative that Mr. Bauer fractured the complainant’s cranium. There was no foundation for that assertion as a result of the complainant’s personal medical data — which The Athletic possessed — confirmed that she had no such fracture. Nonetheless, in keeping with their prior and subsequent expressions of animus towards Mr. Bauer, The Athletic and Ms. Knight publicized that false assault.

“Defendants acted with precise malice as a result of they intentionally ignored the reality — which was evident within the medical data possessed by The Athletic — and since the defendants’ defamatory statements have been a part of a marketing campaign to harass Mr. Bauer,” the lawsuit mentioned. The go well with alleged The Athletic posted a hyperlink to the story on its Twitter account and Knight amplified “the wrong declare” on Twitter.

The lawsuit mentioned The Athletic, after being contacted by Bauer’s lawyer, printed an replace that mentioned “Trevor Bauer’s representatives emphasised that medical data confirmed that whereas the girl was initially recognized with indicators of a basilar cranium fracture, a subsequent CT scan discovered no acute fracture.” The lawsuit mentioned that ”was inadequate and inaccurate” and that “an emergency room doctor noticed that the complainant introduced with indications of a doable basilar cranium fracture, which was dominated out by the one CT scans the girl had. ”

Bauer sued G/O Media, the mother or father firm of Deadspin, and Deadspin managing editor Chris Baud on March 3 in federal court docket in Manhattan, alleging they defamed him when Deadspin reported on July 6 that “an preliminary CT scan . . . confirmed a fracture.”

Bauer was positioned on administrative go away final July 2 beneath the joint home violence and sexual assault coverage of Main League Baseball and the gamers’ affiliation. The go away has been repeatedly prolonged and presently runs by April 16.

After successful his first Cy Younger Award with the Cincinnati Reds in 2020, Bauer agreed to a $102 million, three-year contract to affix his hometown Dodgers. He didn’t pitch after June 29 and completed with an 8-2 file and a 2.59 ERA in 17 appearances. He was paid his $28 million wage final yr.

The Related Press doesn’t sometimes establish individuals who say they’ve been victims of sexual assault.