A judge has dismissed Trevor Bauer's defamation lawsuit against the sports blog Deadspin over its coverage of allegations of sexual assault against the former Dodgers pitcher.
Last year, Bauer sued Deadspin for defamation after the outlet reported that Bauer had fractured a woman's skull during a sexual encounter that later led to the woman obtaining a temporary ex parte restraining order against him.
Deadspin's reporting of the woman's head injury as a fracture cited the findings of the doctor who examined her. The doctor reported that her observable injuries -- "raccoon eyes" and "Battle's sign" -- were consistent with a potential fracture, though CT scans submitted during court proceedings later revealed that there was no fracture.
However, a US District Court judge for the Southern District of New York ruled on Wednesday that the distinction between "significant head and facial trauma" and a fractured skull was essentially unremarkable and did not amount to defamation.
“Whether those injuries included a skull fracture or simply ‘significant head and facial trauma’ and bruising does not change the nature of the accusations," the judge said in the decision, "nor would it produce a different effect on the mind of the reader.”
On Wednesday, Deadspin published an article about the dismissal of the case, titled "Trevor Bauer sued us -- and lost."
Julie DiCaro, the author of the article, wrote "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."
Bauer, 32, was designated for assignment and later released by the Dodgers in January. He remains a free agent. The 2020 National League Cy Young Award winner last pitched in June 2021, when he was placed on paid leave following the revelation of the accusations. He was later suspended for a record 194 games -- the longest in MLB history -- which sidelined him for the entirety of the 2022 season.
Prosecutors declined to bring criminal charges against Bauer following an investigation, and a superior court judge declined the alleged victim's request for a long-term restraining order against him. Bauer maintained his innocence throughout the proceedings.
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